Explanation:
Two large telescope domes stand in the foreground of
this night sky view from
Kitt Peak National
Observatory, near Tucson, Arizona, USA.
The dramatic scene was recorded early Tuesday morning,
near the peak of December's
Geminid Meteor Shower.
With dome slit open,
the building closest to the camera houses the 2.3 Meter (90 inch)
Bok
Telescope
operated by Steward Observatory, University of Arizona.
Behind the Bok is the
Mayall 4
Meter telescope dome.
Of course, no telescopes were needed to
enjoy
the meteors streaking through the sky!
The composite image consists of 13 exposures each 15 seconds long,
taken with a wide angle lens over a period of about 2 hours
during Kitt Peak's warm, clear, night.
An annual celestial event, this meteor shower
is the result of planet Earth plowing
through dust from mysterious, asteroid-like object
3200 Phaethon.
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