Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2026 August 22
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                               Mostly Perseids
    Image Credit & [3]Copyright: Jakub Koukal ([4]Valašské Meziříčí
                                Observatory)

   Explanation: Recorded the night of August 12-13, images from four
   dedicated [5]meteor-monitoring cameras at an astronomical observatory
   in Czechia were aligned and combined to create this all-night, all-sky
   view. [6]On that night, the total count came to 1,706 meteors. And
   since that coincided with the peak activity of the [7]2026 Perseid
   Meteor Shower, most are perseids. Their overwhelming numbers make them
   easy to spot. Quite convincingly, [8]perseid trails all trace back to a
   single radiant on the sky at the upper right, a region in the annual
   shower's eponymous constellation Perseus. But meteors belonging to
   other much less active showers can also revealed by finding their
   radiants too. For example, seen crossing the perseid trails are meteors
   from a shower whose radiant lies in Cygnus, known as [9]Kappa Cygnids.
   The [10]antihelion complex, a general region near Aquarius and opposite
   the Sun in the sky, is also [11]identifiable as a weak source for
   meteors.

                Tomorrow's picture: interplanetary road trip
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      Authors & editors: [23]Robert Nemiroff ([24]MTU) & Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([25]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [26]Specific rights apply.
            [27]NASA Web Privacy, [28]Accessibility, [29]Notices;
                A service of: [30]ASD at [31]NASA / [32]GSFC,
                         [33]NASA Science Activation
                           & [34]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2608/allsky_CEMeNt_Aug12-13final_pretty_8bit.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://www.astrovm.cz/cz/
   5. https://cementcz.eu/network-cement/
   6. https://amsmeteors.org/2026/08/meteor-activity-outlook-for-august-8-14-2026/
   7. https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/meteors-meteorites/perseids/
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230809.html
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250725.html
  10. https://www.popastro.com/meteor/meteor-showers/#Antihelion Source (ANT) Radiant Centre Locations
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090511.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260821.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  16. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  18. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  21. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260822
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260823.html
  23. https://www.mtu.edu/physics/department/faculty/nemiroff/
  24. https://www.mtu.edu/physics
  25. https://www.astro.umd.edu/
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  27. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  28. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  29. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  30. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/
  32. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  33. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  34. http://www.mtu.edu/