Lyrid of the Lake
Explanation:
In the early hours of April 24 this bright
Lyrid
meteor
flashed along the central Milky Way.
For a moment, it cast a bright reflection across
Lake Nian, Yunnan province, China.
The
annual Lyrid meteor shower,
one of the oldest known,
is active in late April, as our fair planet plows
through dust left along the orbit of long-period comet Thatcher.
The trail of the bright
fireball points back toward
the shower's radiant in the
constellation Lyra high in the northern springtime sky and off the top
of the frame.
Just rising in that starry sky, light from a third quarter moon
also cast a glow on the peaceful waters of the lake.
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.