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Credit & Copyright: Petr Horölek /
Institute of Physics in Opava
Explanation:
This is a good week to see meteors.
Comet dust will rain down on planet Earth,
streaking through dark skies during peak nights of the annual
Perseid Meteor Shower.
The featured composite image was taken during the 2018 Perseids from the
Poloniny Dark Sky Park in
Slovakia.
The dome of the observatory in the foreground is on the grounds of
Kolonica Observatory.
Although the
comet
dust particles travel parallel to each other, the
resulting
shower meteors clearly seem to
radiate from a single point on the sky in the
eponymous constellation
Perseus.
The radiant effect is due to
perspective,
as the parallel tracks appear to converge at a distance, like
train
tracks.
The Perseid Meteor Shower is expected to reach its
highest peak on Saturday after midnight.
Since a crescent Moon will rise only very late
that night,
cloudless skies will be darker than usual, making a high number of
faint meteors
potentially visible this year.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Perseids
Publications with words: Perseids
See also: