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Credit & Copyright: Daniel López
(El Cielo de Canarias)
Explanation:
From a radiant
in the constellation of the Twins, the annual
Geminid meteor shower
rained down on our fair planet this week.
This beautiful skyscape collects about 70 of Gemini's lovely
shooting stars in a digital composition made from
multiple exposures.
The exposures were taken over a six hour period near the shower's peak.
The camera was tracking
the dark predawn sky on December 14
from Teide National Park on the Canary Island Tenerife.
Though Gemini lies off the top left of the frame, the Milky Way sweeps
through the starry background.
Sharing the sky below and left of center are recognizable
stars and nebulosities of Orion.
A yellowish Aldebaran
and the Hyades are toward the right along with
the Pleiades star cluster.
Also a welcome visitor to this night sky, the faint green coma of
Comet 46P Wirtanen,
closest to Earth this weekend, lies below the Pleiades stars.
Dust swept up from the orbit of
active asteroid
3200 Phaethon,
Gemini's meteors enter
Earth's atmosphere traveling
at about 35 kilometers per second.
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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
Publications with words: Geminids
See also: