Perside visualization of meteor stream. It looks blurry because it’s a screenshot from a video. Be sure to click on the interactive page; it’s amazing! Visualization by Ian Webster.
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This visualization uses NASA data to reflect known Perseid meteoroids as they move through the space of our solar system. What’s in a meteoroid? It’s just the name for a little pound in space before it enters and evaporates the earth’s atmosphere, and thus a meteor as bright streak in our night sky. Meteors arise in the bodies of comets. The Perseids, in particular, come from Comet Swift-Tuttle, who last visited the last solar system in 1992. Ian Webster developed this visualization of the Perseid meteor stream in space, using meteor data provided by Peter Jenniskens. The visualization was made with the help of the SETI Institute with the aim of making it easier to understand the natural phenomenon of meteor showers.
What’s so cool about the interactive page of this visualization? It is always great to have an aid for depicting a three-dimensional aspect of outer space. This visualization is especially effective because you can click on the view from different perspectives. For example, the view below is the Perseid meteor current as seen from Earth; make sure you click on the page to see the meteors coming to you!
Persee meteor stream from the perspective of the earth in space. Click on the interactive page to see the meteors coming to you. Click on the box at the top left that says “Watch from Earth.” Visualization by Ian Webster.
Bottom line: Two screenshots of Ian Webster and the stunning visualization of Peter Jenniskens showing Perseid meteoroids in space.
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