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Astronaut Photographs Perseid Meteor — From Space
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."
I could get a photo like that if I were an astronaut too. But really, bravo, excellent.
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.
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