Explanation:
Eerie spires of rock rise from shore of Mono Lake in the
foreground of this early morning skyscape.
The salty, mineral-laden lake is
located in
California's eastern Sierra Nevada mountain range and
the spindly rock formations are naturally formed limestone towers
called tufa.
In the scene, recorded near the peak of the annual
Leonid meteor shower
(now subsiding) on November 17th, a meteor trails
through the frigid predawn sky.
Arcturus
is the brightest star to the right of the meteor streak,
while the constellation Leo and the shower's
radiant point lie
well above the field of view.
Reports for
this year's Leonids suggest the peak activity
briefly exceeded 120 meteors per hour, but rates were typically
much lower for
many
locations.
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