In this 30 second exposure photograph, a meteor streaks across the sky during the annual Perseid and Alpha Capricornids meteor showers, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025, in Spruce Knob, West Virginia.
The Perseids meteor shower, which peaks in mid-August, is considered the best of the year. With swift and bright meteors, Perseids frequently leave long “wakes” of light and color behind them as they streak through Earth’s atmosphere. The Perseids are one of the most plentiful showers with about 50 to 100 meteors seen per hour.
This year, visibility will be hampered by an 84%-full Moon on the peak night. A few bright meteors may still be seen in the pre-dawn hours, but viewing conditions are not ideal.
Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
在这张30秒长曝光的照片中，一颗流星划过夜空，拍摄于2025年8月3日星期日，美国西弗吉尼亚州斯普鲁斯诺布（Spruce Knob），正值一年一度的英仙座和摩羯座α流星雨期间。
英仙座流星雨在每年八月中旬达到极大期，被认为是年度最佳流星雨之一。英仙座流星速度快、亮度高，经常在穿越地球大气层时留下一道道明亮而绚丽的尾迹。它也是最为丰富的流星雨之一，极大期每小时可见约50至100颗流星。
不过，今年的观测条件并不理想。流星雨极大期当晚，月亮将接近满月（亮度达84%），强烈的月光会掩盖大部分流星的光辉。尽管如此，在黎明前的几个小时里，仍有可能看到几颗明亮的流星划过天际。
图片来源: NASA/Bill Ingalls
