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.

                               2019 August 12
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                        Perseid Meteors over Slovakia
                 Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Petr Horálek

   Explanation: Tonight is a good night to see meteors. Comet dust will
   rain down on planet Earth, streaking through dark skies during the peak
   of the annual [4]Perseid Meteor Shower. The featured composite image
   was taken during last year's Perseids from the [5]Poloniny Dark Sky
   Park in [6]Slovakia. The unusual building in the foreground is a
   planetarium on the grounds of [7]Kolonica Observatory. Although the
   [8]comet dust particles travel parallel to each other, the [9]resulting
   shower meteors clearly seem to [10]radiate from a single point on the
   sky in the eponymous constellation Perseus. The radiant effect is due
   to [11]perspective, as the parallel tracks appear to converge at a
   distance, like [12]train tracks. The [13]Perseid Meteor Shower is
   expected to peak after midnight tonight, although unfortunately this
   year the [14]sky will be brightened by a near full Moon.

                  Tomorrow's picture: supernova cannonball
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    Authors & editors: [26]Robert Nemiroff ([27]MTU) & [28]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([29]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [30]Specific rights apply.
              [31]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [32]ASD at [33]NASA / [34]GSFC
                           & [35]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1908/PerseidsSlovakia_Horalek_1089.jpg
   3. http://www.astronom.cz/horalek/?page_id=20
   4. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap180808.html
   5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poloniny_Dark-Sky_Park
   6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovakia
   7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HpMVwLGwOI
   8. https://www.universetoday.com/88094/the-perseids-why-is-there-a-meteor-shower/
   9. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/meteors-and-meteorites/perseids/in-depth/
  10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiant_(meteor_shower)
  11. https://i.pinimg.com/236x/64/fa/a3/64faa39143ee4aeff8cce3b7e452f4df--forced-perspective.jpg
  12. http://en.es-static.us/upl/2010/12/railroad-tracks-converge-shutterstock-e1367591337388.jpg
  13. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/details.php?id=1584
  14. https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-perseid-meteor-shower
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190811.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  19. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  24. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=190812
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190813.html
  26. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  27. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  28. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  29. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  32. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  33. https://www.nasa.gov/
  34. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  35. http://www.mtu.edu/