Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]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.

                                2021 August 8
   [2]The picture shows a Perseid meteor as imaged from the International
         Space Station. Please see the explanation for more detailed
                                information.

                               A Perseid Below
        Image Credit: [3]NASA [4]ISS Expedition 28 Crew, [5]Ron Garan

   Explanation: Earthlings typically watch meteor showers by looking up.
   But this [6]remarkable view, captured on August 13, 2011 by astronaut
   [7]Ron Garan, caught a Perseid meteor by looking down. From Garan's
   [8]perspective onboard the [9]International Space Station orbiting at
   an altitude of about 380 kilometers, the Perseid meteors streak below,
   [10]swept up dust left from comet Swift-Tuttle heated to
   [11]incandescence. The [12]glowing comet dust grains are traveling at
   about 60 kilometers per second through the denser atmosphere around 100
   kilometers above Earth's surface. In this case, the foreshortened
   [13]meteor flash is right of frame center, below the curving limb of
   the Earth and a layer of greenish [14]airglow, just below bright star
   [15]Arcturus. Want to [16]look up at a meteor shower? [17]You're in
   luck, as the 2021 [18]Perseids meteor shower peaks this week. [19]This
   year, even relatively [20]faint meteors should be visible through clear
   skies from a dark location as the bright Moon will mostly absent.

     Notable Perseids Submissions to APOD: [21]2018, [22]2019, [23]2020
                  Tomorrow's picture: perseids from perseus
     __________________________________________________________________

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    Authors & editors: [35]Robert Nemiroff ([36]MTU) & [37]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([38]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [39]Specific rights apply.
              [40]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [41]ASD at [42]NASA / [43]GSFC
                           & [44]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2108/perseid_iss_4256.jpg
   3. https://www.nasa.gov/
   4. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition28/index.html
   5. https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/garan_ronald.pdf
   6. https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/watching-meteors-from-the-space-station
   7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_J._Garan_Jr.
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap001129.html
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap160418.html
  10. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/meteor-shower/en/
  11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incandescence
  12. http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/09aug_perseids2011/
  13. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/meteors-and-meteorites/perseids/in-depth/
  14. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/why-nasa-watches-airglow-the-colors-of-the-upper-atmospheric-wind
  15. http://www.solstation.com/stars2/arcturus.htm
  16. https://youtu.be/-_VeXBhQh08
  17. https://media.istockphoto.com/photos/astonished-funny-dog-with-big-eyes-picture-id480540092
  18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseids
  19. https://blogs.nasa.gov/Watch_the_Skies/2021/07/30/the-perseids-are-on-the-rise/
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200810.html
  21. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=APOD.Sky&set=a.1543789772391903
  22. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=APOD.Sky&set=a.2051847908252751
  23. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=APOD.Sky&set=a.2859552167482317
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210807.html
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  28. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  33. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=210808
  34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210809.html
  35. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  36. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  37. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  38. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  39. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  40. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  41. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  42. https://www.nasa.gov/
  43. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  44. http://www.mtu.edu/