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.
Perseid Meteors over Stonehenge
Explanation: What's happening in the sky above Stonehenge? A meteor shower: specifically, the Perseid meteor shower . A few nights ago, after the sky darkened , many images of meteors from this year's Perseids were captured separately and merged into a single frame. Although the meteors all traveled on straight paths, these paths appear slightly curved by the wide-angle lens of the capturing camera. The meteor streaks can all be traced back to a single point on the sky called the radiant , here just off the top of the frame in the constellation of Perseus . The same camera took a deep image of the background sky that brought up the central band of our Milky Way galaxy running nearly vertical through the image center. The featured image was taken from Wiltshire , England , being careful to include, at the bottom, the famous astronomical monument of Stonehenge . Although the Perseids peaked last night, some Perseid meteors should still be visible for a few more nights.
| Date | August 12, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Image Credit & Copyright: Josh Dury |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |



