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Credit & Copyright: Mike Taylor
Explanation:
The early morning
hours of May 6 were moonless when grains of
cosmic dust streaked through dark skies.
Swept up as planet Earth plows through
dusty debris streams left behind periodic Comet Halley,
the annual meteor shower is known as the
Eta
Aquarids.
This inspired exposure captures a meteor streak moving left right
through the frame.
Its trail points back across the arc of the Milky Way to the
shower's radiant above the local
horizon in the constellation Aquarius.
Known for speed Eta Aquarid meteors move fast,
entering the atmosphere at about 66 kilometers
per second.
Still waters of the small pond near Albion, Maine, USA
reflect the starry scene and the orange glow of
nearby artificial lights scattered by a low cloud bank.
Of course, northern hemisphere skygazers are expecting a
new meteor shower on
May 24, the Camelopardalids,
caused by dust from periodic comet 209P/LINEAR.
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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: meteor shower
Publications with words: meteor shower
See also: