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Credit & Copyright: Arman Golestaneh
Explanation:
Some beautiful things begin as grains of sand.
Locked in an oyster, a granule grows into an iridescent
pearl,
lustrous and lovely to behold.
While hurtling through the atmosphere at 35 kilometers
per second, a generous cosmic sand grain becomes an awe-inspiring meteor, its transient
beauty displayed for any who care to watch.
This years
Geminid meteor shower peaked
last week with sky enthusiasts counting as many as
150 meteors per hour, despite the din
of bright moon.
Pictured above the
Taftan volcano in southeast
Iran, a meteor streaks between the bright star
Sirius on the far left and the familiar constellation
of
Orion toward the image center.
Sky watchers are looking forward to
next
years Geminids
which should peak during a unobstructive new Moon.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Geminids - meteor - meteor shower
Publications with words: Geminids - meteor - meteor shower
See also: