Bright Meteor, Dark Sky

Explanation: Has Orion the Hunter acquired a new weapon? If you turn your head sideways (counterclockwise) you might notice the familiar constellation of Orion , particularly the three consecutive bright stars that make up Orion's belt . But in addition to the stars that compose his sword , Orion appears to have added some sort of futuristic light-saber, possibly in an attempt to finally track down Taurus the Bull . Actually, the bright streak is a meteor from the Perseid Meteor Shower , a shower that put on an impressive display last Tuesday morning, when this photograph was taken. This meteor was likely a small icy pebble shed years ago from Comet Swift-Tuttle that evaporated as it entered Earth's atmosphere .