                        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.

                                2023 July 16
   A person is seen facing away, standing on a peak. Other mountain peaks
     surround them. City lights are seen in towns and along roads below.
     Stars in the night sky are above. The band of the Milky Way galaxy
    slants down from the upper left. A bright green meteor streak slants
        down from above. Please see the explanation for more detailed
                                information.

                     Meteor and Milky Way over the Alps
      Image Credit & Copyright: Nicholas Roemmelt (Venture Photography)

   Explanation: Now this was a view with a thrill. From Mount Tschirgant
   in the Alps, you can see not only nearby towns and distant Tyrolean
   peaks, but also, weather permitting, stars, nebulas, and the band of
   the Milky Way Galaxy. What made the arduous climb worthwhile this
   night, though, was another peak -- the peak of the 2018 Perseids Meteor
   Shower. As hoped, dispersing clouds allowed a picturesque sky-gazing
   session that included many faint meteors, all while a carefully
   positioned camera took a series of exposures. Suddenly, a thrilling
   meteor -- bright and colorful -- slashed down right next to the nearly
   vertical band of the Milky Way. As luck would have it, the camera
   caught it too. Therefore, a new image in the series was quickly taken
   with one of the sky-gazers posing on the nearby peak. Later, all of the
   images were digitally combined.

                    Tomorrow's picture: liberating carbon
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
                NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

