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Credit & Copyright: Tunç Tezel
(TWAN)
Explanation:
The Perseid Meteor Shower, usually the best meteor shower of the year, will peak
late next week.
A person watching a clear sky from a dark location might see a bright meteor every
minute.
These
meteors are actually specks of rock that have broken off
Comet Swift-Tuttle
and continued to
orbit the Sun
until they vaporize in
Earth's
atmosphere.
The featured composite image shows a outburst of Perseids
as they appeared over Turkey
during last year's
meteor shower.
Enough meteors were captured to trace the
shower's radiant back to the
constellation of Perseus on the far left.
The tail-end of the Perseids
will still be going during the
total solar eclipse on August 21,
creating a rare opportunity for some lucky astrophotographers to image a
Perseid meteor during the day.
Memorable APOD: Meteor Showers
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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: Perseids
Publications with words: Perseids
See also: