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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.
Meteor before Galaxy
Explanation: What's that green streak in front of the Andromeda galaxy? A meteor. While photographing the Andromeda galaxy last Friday, near the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower , a sand-sized rock from deep space crossed right in front of our Milky Way Galaxy 's far-distant companion. The small meteor took only a fraction of a second to pass through this 10-degree field. The meteor flared several times while braking violently upon entering Earth's atmosphere . The green color was created, at least in part, by the meteor's gas glowing as it vaporized. Although the exposure was timed to catch a Perseids meteor , the orientation of the imaged streak seems a better match to a meteor from the Southern Delta Aquariids , a meteor shower that peaked a few weeks earlier.
Free Download: APOD 2017 Calendar: NASA Images
| Date | August 17, 2016 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Image Credit & Copyright: Fritz Helmut Hemmerich |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |