Comments and questions about the
APOD on the main view screen.
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APOD Robot
- Otto Posterman
- Posts: 5570
- Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2009 3:27 am
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by APOD Robot » Sun May 06, 2018 4:08 am
Meteors, Planes, and a Galaxy over Bryce Canyon
Explanation: Sometimes land and sky are both busy and beautiful. The landscape pictured in the foreground encompasses
Bryce Canyon in
Utah,
USA, famous for its many interesting
rock structures eroded over millions of years. The featured skyscape, photogenic in its own right, encompasses the
arching central disk of our
Milky Way Galaxy, the short streaks of three passing planes near the horizon, at least four long streaks that are likely
Eta Aquariid meteors, and many stars including the
three bright stars that make up the
Summer Triangle. The
featured image is a digital panorama created from 12 smaller images during this date in 2014. Recurring every year, yesterday and tonight mark the peak of
this year's Eta Aquriids meteor shower, where a
patient observer with dark skies and
dark-adapted eyes might expect to see a
meteor every few minutes.
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Boomer12k
- :---[===] *
- Posts: 2691
- Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2007 12:07 am
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by Boomer12k » Sun May 06, 2018 7:05 am
Nice picture... I have written a song...
"Meteor, Meteor, do you roam?..."
"I've come to Earth, to find a Hoomme..."....er...um...well....OK...still working on it... going to be a big hit...you can tell.... I was a third year music major!!!!
We are back into wet spring weather...typical of Oregon. Still in the mid 30's F some nights...
:---[===] *
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orin stepanek
- Plutopian
- Posts: 8200
- Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2005 3:41 pm
- Location: Nebraska
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by orin stepanek » Sun May 06, 2018 10:40 am
I like today's picture; but I believe it to be a repeat! I think that's the norm for a Sunday, which is OK!
Orin
Smile today; tomorrow's another day!
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Chris Peterson
- Abominable Snowman
- Posts: 18573
- Joined: Wed Jan 31, 2007 11:13 pm
- Location: Guffey, Colorado, USA
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by Chris Peterson » Sun May 06, 2018 2:18 pm
Boomer12k wrote: ↑Sun May 06, 2018 7:05 am
Nice picture... I have written a song...
"Meteor, Meteor, do you roam?..."
"I've come to Earth, to find a Hoomme..."....er...um...well....OK...still working on it... going to be a big hit...you can tell.... I was a third year music major!!!!
It might not scan as well, but it was a
meteoroid during its roaming.
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skildude
Post
by skildude » Sun May 06, 2018 3:41 pm
Did anyone notice that the upper left corner has the same Picture clipped side by side. I see star patterns repeated there. Unless this is the matrix I'm willing to be someone didn't get the whole sky that night.
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Ann
- 4725 Å
- Posts: 13805
- Joined: Sat May 29, 2010 5:33 am
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by Ann » Sun May 06, 2018 3:55 pm
Where are the planes?
Ann
Color Commentator
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Chris Peterson
- Abominable Snowman
- Posts: 18573
- Joined: Wed Jan 31, 2007 11:13 pm
- Location: Guffey, Colorado, USA
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by Chris Peterson » Sun May 06, 2018 4:31 pm
I agree that the three short streaks near the horizon are airplanes. However, I think there is just one meteor in this image, between the Milky Way and the horizon about a third of the way from the left edge. The three longer streaks are almost certainly satellites, given their uniform intensity and sharp endpoints. And since the radiant of the Eta Aquariids is just a bit above the horizon almost directly below the top of the Milky Way arch, the one definite meteor isn't a member of that shower.
So- three planes, three satellites, one meteor.
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Indigo_Sunrise
- Science Officer
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- Location: Md
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by Indigo_Sunrise » Sun May 06, 2018 5:54 pm
Ann wrote: ↑Sun May 06, 2018 3:55 pm
Where are the planes?
Ann
Hi Ann, they are very tiny, short straight lines, and very near the horizon. I had to look at the enlarged image to find them, and even then it took a few minutes.
Chris Peterson wrote: ↑Sun May 06, 2018 4:31 pm
I agree that the three short streaks near the horizon are airplanes. However, I think there is just one meteor in this image, between the Milky Way and the horizon about a third of the way from the left edge. The three longer streaks are almost certainly satellites, given their uniform intensity and sharp endpoints. And since the radiant of the Eta Aquariids is just a bit above the horizon almost directly below the top of the Milky Way arch, the one definite meteor isn't a member of that shower.
So- three planes, three satellites, one meteor.
Thank you for this clarification, Chris. I wondered why the 'meteor streaks' didn't seem to be coming from one origin point.
Forget the box, just get outside.
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daddyo
- Science Officer
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- Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2015 4:48 am
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by daddyo » Mon May 07, 2018 1:03 am
Check out the perfect "H" of stars at the top of the Milky Way arch. You have to get the full resolution image to see it. Maybe it's the photographer's watermark?
Last edited by daddyo on Mon May 07, 2018 1:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Chris Peterson
- Abominable Snowman
- Posts: 18573
- Joined: Wed Jan 31, 2007 11:13 pm
- Location: Guffey, Colorado, USA
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by Chris Peterson » Mon May 07, 2018 1:06 am
daddyo wrote: ↑Mon May 07, 2018 1:03 am
Check out the perfect "H" of stars at the top of the Milky Way arch. You have to get the full resolution image to see it.
It's a stitching error. (There are a few.)
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Ann
- 4725 Å
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by Ann » Mon May 07, 2018 3:28 am
Thanks for your answers, Indigo_Sunrise and Chris.
Ann
Color Commentator
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Leo S
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by Leo S » Thu May 17, 2018 10:28 pm
I agree with Chris. Just a single meteor in this image, and the rest of the trails were made by satellites + aircraft.