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Credit & Copyright: Petr Horálek
Explanation:
Tonight is a good night to see meteors.
Comet dust will rain down on planet Earth,
streaking through dark skies during the peak of the annual
Perseid Meteor Shower.
The featured composite image was taken during last year's Perseids from the
Poloniny Dark Sky Park in
Slovakia.
The unusual building in the foreground is a planetarium on the grounds of
Kolonica Observatory.
Although the
comet
dust particles travel parallel to each other, the
resulting
shower meteors clearly seem to
radiate from a single point on the sky in the eponymous constellation Perseus.
The radiant effect is due to
perspective,
as the parallel tracks appear to converge at a distance, like
train
tracks.
The Perseid Meteor Shower is expected to
peak after midnight tonight,
although unfortunately this year the
sky
will be brightened by a near full 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: Perseids
Publications with words: Perseids
See also: