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Astronaut Photographs Perseid Meteor — From Space

Posted by timothy on from the best-place-for-it-really dept.

astroengine writes "As the Perseid meteor shower begins to subside, there is one observer who was perfectly positioned to take a photograph where the skies are guaranteed to be clear from cloud. NASA astronaut Ron Garan — who is currently living aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of Expedition 27 — captured this stunning photograph of a Perseid out of the ISS window."

14 of 61 comments (clear)

  1. Showoff by Culture20 · · Score: 4, Funny

    I could get a photo like that if I were an astronaut too. But really, bravo, excellent.

    1. Re:Showoff by Culture20 · · Score: 2

      Can we see your photography site?

      I'd post a goatse link, but your sig makes me think the link might not have the shock intended. ;)
      Obviously I was making a funny.

  2. Impacts? by Swanktastic · · Score: 2

    What's the probability of these hitting the ISS?

    1. Re:Impacts? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      What's the probability of these hitting the ISS?

      Pretty low. Its kind of like incoming artillery, the ones you see are not the ones to worry about (classical, not NBC). Worry about the tiny little dot headed right towards you...

      It would be less of a problem if the Chinese would stop blowing shit up in orbit.

    2. Re:Impacts? by Dunbal · · Score: 2

      Yeah - ever noticed how all those stories about defective products from China and threats about embargos, threats about the Yuan, etc, ended right after that little incident? The message was: You take China seriously now because we can blow up your satellites. Of course the American response was "well we can do it from a ship at sea", but all that means was that the message was understood loud and clear.

      --
      Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
  3. Science is Beautiful by Scorch_Mechanic · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Sometimes, a picture out of one of the various space efforts really gets my attention.

    This is one of them.

    I'll be the first to admit that the math, the physics, the science, the expansion of the human sphere of knowledge are all extremely important and valid reasons for continuing to fund space missions (of any kind).

    But if you don't consider images like this to be a strong reason for continuing our exploits into space, then you aren't someone I want to reason with at all.

    --
    You should turn signatures off.
    1. Re:Science is Beautiful by Warwick+Allison · · Score: 2

      I wouldn't want to reason with you while you're all emotional anyway.

    2. Re:Science is Beautiful by rts008 · · Score: 2

      Hear! Hear!
      Most of my desktop backgrounds come www.nasa.gov's image gallery.
      The current one in use is titled "Sunrise over Mars", taken by one of the rovers.

      BTW for the curious:
      I tried to find it on NASA's image gallery, and failed(was going to link to it).
      A Google image search for that title found it. :-)
      This is it, but not the higher resolution image I got from NASA's sight a few years ago.

      That image blew my socks off! Wow! A picture from Mars I can relate to!
      I've seen many sunrises from good old planet Earth, but from another planet?!?!?
      It gives me goose bumps!

      --
      Down With Slashdot BETA!!! I've been around the corner and seen the oliphant; you can only abuse me from your perspecti
  4. Re:I'm officially sick of the word 'stunning.' by Dachannien · · Score: 2

    I'm inclined to believe the word was used appropriately here, as I was incapacitated for at least five minutes after seeing the photo.

  5. Re:What's the other thing? by ColdWetDog · · Score: 2

    Is that the moon in the background?

    That's no moon.

    --
    Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  6. Image Source by josh+washington · · Score: 4, Informative

    At the risk of being modded off-topic, here's the higher-resolution image mentioned by rts008 and JavaBasedOS for anyone interested.

    It's actually sunset, as NASA mentions here. If you haven't seen it, it's worth a look.

    I agree that, for all the advancements in knowledge that NASA and ESA develop, images such as these are what best capture children's imaginations and inspire them. This is what fuels dreams and fosters a desire to contribute to our* space program. Hopefully the image of this meteor inspires someone to pursue studies in a space-related career!

    * - our = humanity's collective space program as a whole, because it doesn't matter if a child is from the US, the UK, the EU, China, India - we're all in this together, alone here on this rock.

    Related: Pale Blue Dot
    Earth and the moon from Mars

  7. Re:I'm officially sick of the word 'stunning.' by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Kind of like using the word 'officially'

  8. Looks like the Earth's shield is up by turing_m · · Score: 2

    That atmosphere does a pretty darn good job of protecting us. Intercepting space debris, to blocking radiation, to providing us oxygen - it does it all.

    --
    If I have seen further it is by stealing the Intellectual Property of giants.
  9. Re:I'm officially sick of the word 'stunning.' by Hognoxious · · Score: 2

    It's so exponentially overused it literally makes my blood boil.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."