Explanation:
This early morning skyscape was captured last week on August 4th,
looking northeast across calm waters
in the Turn Basin
at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.
In a striking contrast in motion, the space shuttle
Discovery, mounted on a massive
transporter, creeps toward launch pad 39A at
less than two miles per hour, while a brilliant meteor streaks
through the sky traveling many miles per second.
Of course, this week skywatchers have seen many similar meteor streaks
during the annual
Perseid meteor shower.
But the meteor flashing above Discovery is not likely to be one
of the Perseids because its path doesn't point back
to that shower's radiant.
Seen here near picture center, brilliant planet Venus still dominates
the sky as the Morning Star, though.
Yellowish tinted Mars lies near the top of the frame and
Orion's red giant star Betelgeuse
is toward the right.
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