Credit & Copyright: Xu Chen
Explanation:
What's happening to this meteor?
It is shedding its outer layers as it passes through the
Earth's atmosphere and heats up.
The sudden high temperatures not only cause the bright glow along the
dramatic streak but also
melt and vaporize the
meteor's component rock and ice, creating dust.
Wind in the atmosphere typically
blows this dust away
over the next few seconds, leaving
no visible trace after only a few minutes.
Much of this dust will
eventually settle down to the
Earth.
The featured image was captured in mid-December,
coincident with the
Geminids meteor shower.
On the upper left is Sirius, the
brightest star in the night sky,
while in the foreground is fog-engulfed
Huangshan,
the Yellow Mountains of eastern
China.
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 |
Yanvar' Fevral' Mart Aprel' Mai Iyun' Iyul' Avgust Sentyabr' Oktyabr' Noyabr' Dekabr' |
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
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meteors - dust
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