Meteors Between Stars and Clouds

Streaking high above diffuse clouds -- but well in front of distant stars -- are sand-sized bits of an ancient comet: meteors . These bits flaked off Comet Tempel-Tuttle during its pass through the inner Solar System about 150 years ago. Far in the background are stars toward the constellation of Ursa Major . The above image is digital combination of 12 exposures taken on the morning of November 19 from Florida , USA . Observers there reported a strong peak in faint meteors between 5:30 and 6:00 EST , with a particularly strong minute coming at 5:46 EST when 22 Leonid meteors were counted. The likely less impressive Geminid meteor shower will peak over the next three nights.