Explanation:
The rock formation in the foreground of this night view
was recorded on August 10,
illuminated by light from a waning gibbous Moon.
Even though the sky above also
scatters the bright moonlight, a brilliant meteor was captured as it flashed
across
the scene during the 30 second long exposure.
Of course, the meteor was part of the
annual rain of dust from
periodic Comet Swift-Tuttle known as the
Perseid Meteor Shower.
Leaving trails that point back to a
radiant in the
constellation Perseus, the
ancient dust particles are
vaporized as they enter the atmosphere at about 60 kilometers
per second, their visible streaks beginning at altitudes
of around 100 kilometers.
And though it looks like the knuckles of a giant hand,
the curious rock formation can be
found in Colorado National Monument park, USA,
planet Earth.
