Perseid Prelude
Explanation:
Each August, as planet Earth swings through dust trailing
along the orbit of periodic
comet
Swift-Tuttle,
skygazers can enjoy the
Perseids
Meteor Shower.
The shower should
build to its peak now, best seen
from later tonight after moonset, until dawn tomorrow morning when
Earth moves through the denser part of the wide dust trail.
But shower meteors have been spotted for many days, like this
bright Perseid streaking through skies near
Lake Balaton, Hungary on August 8.
In the foreground is the region's Church of St. Andrew ruin,
with bright Jupiter dominating the sky to its right.
Two galaxies lie in the background of the wide-angle, 3
frame panorama; our own
Milky Way's luminous arc, and
the faint smudge of the more distant
Andromeda Galaxy
just above the ruin's leftmost wall.
If you watch for Perseid meteors tonight,
be sure and check out the early evening sky show too,
featuring
bright planets and
a young crescent Moon near the
western horizon after sunset.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
