Bright Meteor, Starry Sky
Explanation:
Plowing through
Earth's atmosphere at 60 kilometers per second,
this bright perseid meteor streaks along a starry Milky Way.
Captured in dark Portugal skies on August 12, it moves
right to left through the frame.
Its colorful trail starts near Deneb (alpha Cygni)
and ends near Altair (alpha Aquilae),
stars of the northern
summer triangle.
In fact this perseid meteor
very briefly outshines both,
two of the brightest stars in planet Earth's night.
The trail's initial greenish glow is typical of the bright
perseid shower meteors.
The grains of cosmic sand,
swept
up
dust from periodic comet Swift-Tuttle,
are moving fast enough to excite
the characteristic green emission of atomic oxygen
at altitudes of
100 kilometers
or so before vaporizing in an incandescent flash.
Notable APOD Image Submissions:
Perseid
Meteor Shower 2021
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.
