Perseid Meteor
Taken by Jack Jewell on August 12, 2016 @
Arches National Park, Utah, USA
Click photo for larger image
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Camera Used: NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D800E
Exposure Time: 13/1
Aperture: f/2.8
ISO: 6400
Date Taken: 2016:08:14 22:29:28
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Details:
Gravitational Lensing by large galaxies and clusters has made great news, imagery and science for a couple decades. Here is maybe the first record of a Perseid Meteor being gravitationally bent by the Andromeda galaxy - THIS IS OF COURSE IMPOSSIBLE. What's going on? Besides darkframe subtraction, no processing was performed (other than NEF/TIFF/JPG); the red color is real. The meteor traveled "upwards" in the frame, from near the double cluster (lower left), passes "right by" the Andromeda galaxy, and suddenly/seemingly bends to the left. Not explainable by lens distortion in the small portion of the frame. Perseids tend to be green at the start, then turning to red. Some only show the green. This one seems rare, being purely red and fairly bright. My best-guess explanation of the "bend" is that the meteor transited an atmospheric layer that refracted the light, creating a familiar illusion of bending. It would be great to hear alternative explanations!
Uncropped image, processed with reasonable moderation, also attached, has the Balanced Rock in the central foreground.
Perseus''s attraction to Andromeda is legendary, perhaps enough to turn the eye of a passing meteor :-)
Photographer's website:
No URL provided.
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