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.

2017 November 17
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Major Fireball Meteor

Image Credit & Copyright: Ollie Taylor

Explanation: The sky glows with soft pinkish colors of fading twilight in this serendipitous mountaintop vista. Taken in subfreezing temperatures, the thoughtfully
composed photo shows snowy, rugged peaks seen from a mountain pass on November 14. Below lies the village of La Villa, Alta Badia in Italy's Dolomite Alps.
Above the nestled village lights, the constellation Ursa Major hangs over the northern horizon. But most stunning is the intense reball meteor. It was captured during
the camera's exposure by chance as it ashed east to west across the northern horizon, under Ursa Major's familiar Big Dipper asterism. In fact, sightings of this
major reball meteor were widely reported in European skies, the most reported reball event ever for planet Earth's American Meteor Society and the International
Meteor Organization. The meteor's measured track over Germany is consistent with its origin near the active radiant of November's Taurid Meteor Shower. Taurid
meteors are associated with dust from Encke's comet.

Watch: Leonid Meteor Shower

Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend

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