                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

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

                               2024 August 12
    A night sky filled with stars and the band of our Milky Way galaxy is
       shown also filled with many streaks. The short streaks are all
    coordinated and together indicate a flow from the top of the image to
   the bottom. In the foreground at the bottom of the frame is Stonehenge.
          Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

                       Perseid Meteors over Stonehenge
                     Image Credit & Copyright: Josh Dury

   Explanation: What's happening in the sky above Stonehenge? A meteor
   shower: specifically, the Perseid meteor shower. A few nights ago,
   after the sky darkened, many images of meteors from this year's
   Perseids were captured separately and merged into a single frame.
   Although the meteors all traveled on straight paths, these paths appear
   slightly curved by the wide-angle lens of the capturing camera. The
   meteor streaks can all be traced back to a single point on the sky
   called the radiant, here just off the top of the frame in the
   constellation of Perseus. The same camera took a deep image of the
   background sky that brought up the central band of our Milky Way galaxy
   running nearly vertical through the image center. The featured image
   was taken from Wiltshire, England, being careful to include, at the
   bottom, the famous astronomical monument of Stonehenge. Although the
   Perseids peaked last night, some Perseid meteors should still be
   visible for a few more nights.

                       Tomorrow's picture: big sky jet
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                             & Michigan Tech. U.

