Taking a Shower

Its been a fabulous year for Astronomy so far and this month we have the annual display of the Perseid Meteors to enjoy too. Apparently produced by the Swift Tuttle Comet, discovered in the mid 1800's, these are among the most reliable and spectacular astronomical displays.

When I was in Cyprus recently, the beautifully clear sky was often streaked with meteorites, whether these were precursors of the Perseid cluster or just visible because of the lack of light pollution, i'm not sure. One meteor was a vibrant green, although that may have been the influence of the Absinthe I was enjoying on the roof terrace!

I've been struggling to capture a good moon photograph recently, so as the display was due this week, I popped out last night, for a quick practice. While I didn't see any meteors, I was quite pleased with the snaps and utterly amazed at the wealth of stars that appear! The images are a little fuzzy and grainy, but the stars which clearly appear are many, many more than I have ever seen with the naked eye.

With luck, the skies will remain clear over the next few nights and I may actually capture a meteor! I'm surprised I caught the airliner making its way across the sky!