Meteors Between Stars and Clouds
Credit & Copyright:
Pierre Martin & Michael F. Vasseur
(OAOG)
Streaking high above diffuse
clouds --
but well in front of distant stars --
are sand-sized bits of an ancient comet:
meteors.
These bits flaked off
Comet Tempel-Tuttle
during its pass through the inner
Solar System about 150 years ago.
Far in the background are stars toward the
constellation of
Ursa Major.
The above image is digital combination of
12 exposures taken on the morning of November 19 from
Florida,
USA.
Observers there
reported a strong peak in
faint meteors between 5:30 and 6:00
EST, with a particularly strong minute
coming at 5:46 EST when 22
Leonid meteors were counted.
The likely less impressive
Geminid meteor shower will peak over the next three nights.