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Natural fireworks, courtesy of the Perseid meteor shower

7 August 2007

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This picture was taken during the Perseid meteor shower on 12 August 1997.

Shooting stars are seen on Earth as our planet enters a dust cloud ejected by a comet, in this case, Swift-Tuttle. The dust burns up as it enters the atmosphere creating natural fireworks in the night sky.

Credits: ESA - D. Koschny

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This picture was taken during the Perseid meteor shower on 12 August 1997.

Shooting stars are seen on Earth as our planet enters a dust cloud left behind by a comet, in this case, Swift-Tuttle. The dust burns up as it enters the atmosphere creating natural fireworks in the night sky.

Credits: ESA - D. Koschny

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This constellation map shows the constellation Perseus, from where the Perseid meteor shower can be seen arising in the sky. This year, as a bonus, Mars is visible as a bright red dot in the east, after midnight.

Credits: ESA - G. Barentsen

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This map shows all the locations where the observations will be taking place, and the respective institutes involved at the site.

It is a Google Earth image made up of images from Terrametrics, Europa Technologies, NASA, CNES/Spot Image.

Credits: Google

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