                        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 August 9
     Mulitple streaks cover a night sky filled with stars. An observtory
   dome is visible in the foreground. Please see the explanation for more
                            detailed information.

                    Meteor Shower: Perseids from Perseus
      Credit & Copyright: Petr Horálek / Institute of Physics in Opava

   Explanation: This is a good week to see meteors. Comet dust will rain
   down on planet Earth, streaking through dark skies during peak nights
   of the annual Perseid Meteor Shower. The featured composite image was
   taken during the 2018 Perseids from the Poloniny Dark Sky Park in
   Slovakia. The dome of the observatory in the foreground is on the
   grounds of Kolonica Observatory. Although the comet dust particles
   travel parallel to each other, the resulting shower meteors clearly
   seem to radiate from a single point on the sky in the eponymous
   constellation Perseus. The radiant effect is due to perspective, as the
   parallel tracks appear to converge at a distance, like train tracks.
   The Perseid Meteor Shower is expected to reach its highest peak on
   Saturday after midnight. Since a crescent Moon will rise only very late
   that night, cloudless skies will be darker than usual, making a high
   number of faint meteors potentially visible this year.

                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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