Incredible Footage Shows a Perseid Meteor Exploding

Nancy_A writes "Photographer and digital artist Michael K. Chung said he couldn't believe what he saw when he was processing images he took for a timelapse of the Perseid meteor shower this week. It appears he captured a meteor explosion and the resulting expansion of a shock wave or debris ring. After this article was posted, Universe Today received more 'explody' footage from the Perseid meteor shower, which has been added to the article."

From Other Thred

[skatull]

Actually a chemtrail exploded by HAARP apparatus.

Re:

[TWX]

What's a HAARP apparatus? That something that fires horrible retired people as rounds?

Re:

[etash]

no, it's a device for people who do not follow the previous slashdot articles and the joke some may make by combining both articles.

Re:From Other Thred

[Teancum]

Depending on who you talk to, HAARP [wikipedia.org] is either the U.S. government's attempt to control the global climate and take over the world, is under the control of the Bavarian Illuminati (or the Knights Templar, Masons, Greys, Reptilians, or other sort of conspiracy theory), or it is a research site that is developing RADAR technologies and other radio-frequency based concepts that can be used to protect America from foreign threats and is just another military installation. Perhaps it is just an ordinary "big science" research post doing even more benign and peaceful things.

It is also the butt of a great many jokes from those who've heard the worst of the conspiracy theories to want to puke.

Re:

[Teancum]

Yeah, another conspiracy theory. I guess I could have added that to the list of other bullshit reasons people think it exists.

Wow

[interval1066]

Ok kids, for those who don't understand, this is astronomical porn. Read it, watch it, understand it. Its VERY rare to capture such things on film. Like, Lottery Winning rare. This guy will be revered throughout the astronomical world.

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[Nyder]

But I can't figure out which of the two dozen sites needs to be allowed in NoScript to make the video work.
Does anyone else know?

Vimecdn.com

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[theskipper]

Same here, it's an unholy mess. But this direct link should work fine: http://vimeo.com/72228503 [vimeo.com]

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[turkeydance]

Rare? Russian dashcams disagree.

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[interval1066]

Hords of people are capturing asteroid collisions in real time with gay abandon? I don't think so.al time

Spectacular!

[matthew_t_west]

Wow. That's amazing. Not only was Michael's photography well done, but to capture a meteor exploding, that's like a holy grail of meteor photography!

Amateur vs Professional Astronomer

[assemblerex]

I always find it funny that they make someone's achievement seem less than great by calling them an amateur.

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

Generally I find that in such cases the intent is the opposite; they're applauding what can be achieved by an amateur, without the resources of a professional.

Re:Amateur vs Professional Astronomer

[Deadstick]

I didn't see any putdowns of amateurs in TFA, and you'll not find a lot in the astronomy community. It's one of the few sciences where proficient amateurs can make real contributions...they produce intensity logs of variable stars, and discover a lot of the comets, among other things. And they work for nothing.

Much like archaeology in the 19th Century.

Re:

[dadelbunts]

Yeah i dont think i have ever in my life seen anyone use "amateur astronomer" as a put down, especially since amateur astronomers have made so many contributions to the field. Space is so huge, the more people looking the better.

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[sjames]

It's just a bit of word drift. Amateur astronomer is meant in the sense of not paid to do astronomy.

The implications amateur often has about the depth of knowledge and quality of work are not intended in that case.

Theory

[jxander]

I'm not saying it was aliens, but ...

It was aliens.

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[theskipper]

Aliens? That's stupid. It's the high density of vinegar in the atmosphere that causes the meteors to superheat and explode.

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[thoughtlover]

yup.. it just hit a cloaked Klingon Bird-of-Prey. Nothing to see here.. move along --Sorry for the unintended pun.

Fireball

[SuperTechnoNerd]

I seen something similar to this back during the 2001 Leonids. A large fireball crossed the sky then broke up into 2 smaller chunks and they continued on with their own own streaks. It was the most incredible meteor I ever seen. That whole shower was the best.

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[ColdWetDog]

Pics or it didn't happen.

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[drkim]

Pics or it didn't happen.

Done

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90Omh7_I8vI [youtube.com]

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[quantaman]

I vividly remember seeing something like this once. I was coming home from a hockey practice and saw a large meteor break into two halves before fading out.

Of course I was probably about 8 at the time, and only a couple year earlier I remember seeing a triangular light I thought was a UFO (I tried to get my parents to call the police to report it).

So take my recollection with a tunguska sized grain of salt.

I know, right?

[slashmydots]

"Personally, I’ve never seen anything like this."
Me neither! 32 different domains worth of javascript libraries on one site! This even stalled out my i5 for a bit. A site like this doesn't come around just any old time. Definitely an amazing spectacle.