APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
A Perseid Fireball and the Milky Way
Explanation: It was bright and green and flashed as it moved quickly along the Milky Way. It left a trail that took 30 minutes to dissipate. Given the day, August 12, and the direction, away from Perseus , it was likely a small bit from the nucleus of Comet Swift-Tuttle plowing through the Earth's atmosphere -- and therefore part of the annual Perseids meteor shower . The astrophotographer captured the fireball as it shot across the sky in 2018 above a valley in Yichang, Hubei , China . The meteor's streak, also caught on video , ended near the direction of Mars on the lower left. Next week , the 2021 Perseids meteor shower will peak again . This year the Moon will set shortly after the Sun , leaving a night sky ideal for seeing lots of Perseids from dark and clear locations across planet Earth .
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| Date | August 3, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Image Credit & Copyright: Dandan Huang |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |