Milky Way and Exploding Meteor
Image Credit & Copyright:
Andre van der Hoeven
In about a week the
Perseid Meteor Shower will reach its maximum.
Grains of icy rock will
streak across the sky
as they evaporate during entry into
Earth's atmosphere.
These grains were shed from
Comet Swift-Tuttle.
The Perseids
result from the annual crossing of the Earth through
Comet Swift-Tuttle's orbit, and are
typically the most active
meteor shower of the year.
Although it is hard to predict the level of activity in
any meteor shower, in a clear dark sky an observer might see a
meteor a minute.
This year's
Perseids
peak just a few days after
full moon,
and so some faint meteors will be lost to the
lunar skyglow.
Meteor showers in general are best seen from a relaxing position, away from lights.
Featured here
is a meteor caught
exploding during the 2015 Perseids above
Austria
next to the central band of our
Milky Way Galaxy.