Go back! deutsch english español language

Luminous Train by a Perseid Meteor 2011

at Steinheim Impact Crater

magnify

Date:11.8.2011 Time:1:01 UT
Exposure:4x10s Mosaic Field of View:~ 70o x 100o
Camera:Nikon D3 Optics:35mm, f/2.8
Place:Steinheim, Germany   Observer:Till Credner

© Copyright AlltheSky.com

Bright meteors often leave luminous trains along their tracks. If they last several seconds or even minutes they are called persistent trains. See an example of an evolving train of a Quadrantid meteor here! The photography was taken from the border of the "Steinheimer Becken", a 15 Mio. year old impact crater in southern Germany. The hill in the center is the central mountain remaining from the impact. The circular crater wall has a diameter of 3.8 km. The opposite part can be seen behind the central hill. Simultaneously to the origin of Steinheimer Becken a larger meteorite hit the ground and created todays Nördlinger Ries, which is just 40 km far from Steinheim. The Meteor seen above had just a typical size of a sand grain and was ablated by friction into dust in the atmosphere.