Astronomy Picture of the Day: Meteor and Milky Way over the Alps
Meteor and Milky Way over the Alps Now this was a view with a thrill. From Mount Tschirgant in the Alps , you can see not only nearby towns and distant Tyrol ean 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 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 . January 1...