Bisected by Milky Way, stellar image captures Perseid meteor shower raining down on Stonehenge – Colossal



Photography in nature

#astronomy #meteors

Image © Josh Dury, distributed with permission

One of the brightest and densest meteor showers of the year, the Perseids shower each August, leaving bright streaks in their wake. Photographer Josh Dury captured this year's stellar display near Stonehenge, showing the fireballs lighting up the sky above the prehistoric grounds of Wiltshire, England.

On August 9, Dury camped at the ancient monument — which lines up with sunrise at the summer solstice and sunset at the winter solstice — to capture 46 images that he later stitched together into the stunning composite above. Between 50 and 100 meteors are usually visible per hour when the Perseids arrive, and the photographer spent about three hours at the location.

With the brilliant Milky Way crossing the frame, the resulting image is a striking tribute to celestial wonders past and present. “To me, the pertinent narrative of this ancient firework, formed from some of the oldest astronomical material in our solar system, seemed a fitting tribute to the world-famous astronomical monument that is Stonehenge,” he told PetaPixel.

Prints of the “Perseid Meteors over Stonehenge,” which was named the Astronomy Image of the Day by NASA, are available on Dury's website. Follow his work on Instagram.

#astronomy #meteors

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