             APOD: 2017 August 6 - Milky Way and Exploding Meteor

                         Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! [1] Each day a different image or photograph of our
 fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a
                           professional astronomer.

                                2017 August 6
                                      [2]
                        Milky Way and Exploding Meteor
              Image Credit & Copyright: André van der Hoeven [3]

Explanation: Next weekend the Perseid Meteor Shower [4]  reaches its maximum.
Grains of icy rock will streak across the sky [5] as they evaporate during
entry into Earth's atmosphere [6] . These grains were shed from Comet
Swift-Tuttle [7] . The Perseids [8]  result from the annual crossing of the
Earth through Comet Swift-Tuttle [9] 's orbit, and are typically the most
active meteor shower [10]  of the year. Although it is hard to predict the
level of activity in any meteor shower [11] , in a clear dark sky an observer
might see a meteor [12]  a minute. This year's Perseids [13] peak nearly a
week after full Moon [14] , and so some faint meteors will be lost to the
lunar skyglow [15] . Meteor showers [16]  in general are best be seen from a
relaxing position [17] , away from lights. Featured here [18] is a meteor
caught exploding [19]  during the 2015 Perseids above Austria [20] next to the
central band of our Milky Way Galaxy [21] .

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                   Tomorrow's picture: rings of galaxy [26]

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    Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [38] (MTU [39] ) & Jerry Bonnell [40]
                                  (UMCP [41] )
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Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] image/1708/MeteorBoom_vanderHoeven_750.gif
  [3] https://www.flickr.com/photos/avdhoeven/
  [4] https://blogs.nasa.gov/Watch_the_Skies/2017/08/
  [5] ap150813.html
  [6]
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/images/
463940main_atmosphere-layers2_full.jpg
  [7] https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/109pswifttuttle/indepth
  [8] ap130813.html
  [9] ap960219.html
  [10] http://www.amsmeteors.org/meteor-showers/meteor-shower-calendar/
  [11] https://apod.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search?tquery=meteor+shower
  [12] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteoroid#Meteors
  [13] https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/perseids.cfm
  [14] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_moon
  [15] ap150615.html
  [16] https://www.space.com/32868-perseid-meteor-shower-guide.html
  [17] http://www.funnyanimalsite.com/pictures/Having_Out_Relaxing_Dog.jpg
  [18] https://www.flickr.com/photos/avdhoeven/20142339228/sizes/o/
  [19]  image/1508/MeteorBoom_vanderHoeven_750.mp4
  [20] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria
  [21] http://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/what-are-galaxies/
  [22] https://www.facebook.com/AstronomyPictureOfTheDay
  [23] https://plus.google.com/u/1/+AstronomyPictureOfTheDay
  [24] https://www.instagram.com/astronomypicturesdaily/
  [25] http://twitter.com/apod/
  [26] ap170807.html
  [27] ap170805.html
  [28] archivepix.html
  [29] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [30] lib/aptree.html
  [31] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  [32] calendar/allyears.html
  [33] /apod.rss
  [34] lib/edlinks.html
  [35] lib/about_apod.html
  [36] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=170806
  [37] ap170807.html
  [38] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [39] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [40] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  [41] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [42] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [43] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  [44] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  [45] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [46] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  [47] http://www.mtu.edu/
