Jeff Berkes Photography

A Lyrid meteor leaves a streak in the skies over Shenandoah National Park in Virginia on the morning of April 20.

Looking back at the Lyrids

Can you spot the meteor? Last weekend's Lyrid meteor shower produced lots of memorable pictures, as you can see in SpaceWeather.com's meteor gallery. But in Jeff Berkes' photograph, taken at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, the shooting star is just one little brushstroke in a cosmic masterpiece.

The Milky Way's spray of stars stretches across the backdrop, and a gnarled tree stands in the spotlight that Berkes created using a technique called "light painting." It's the same technique Berkes used to great effect in last October's picture of the Orionid meteor shower.

Berkes said last weekend's Lyrid shooting session wasn't exactly a walk in the park: "Being out that night, things got a little hairy ... literally! A black bear approached us around 11 p.m. one night, but left without any issues. ... I saw a bunch of Lyrids that night, but only captured a few faint ones with my camera. I used a Nikon D3 DSLR. It was great to view the Lyrids under a new moon and from one of my favorite national parks."

The timing couldn't be better: This week is National Park Week, and Saturday is celebrated as Astronomy Day. You can double the celebratory spirit by going skywatching in a park this weekend. To find out what's going on in your neck of the woods, check out the Astronomical League's event listings, or check in with your local astronomy club.

Where in the Cosmos
Jeff Berkes' look at the Lyrids served as today's "Where in the Cosmos" picture puzzle on the Cosmic Log Facebook Page. It took only a minute or two for Nanette Broyles to spot the meteor streak and figure out that the picture was taken during the Lyrid meteor shower. To reward her quickness, I'm sending her a pair of Microsoft Research 3-D glasses, plus a 3-D picture of yours truly. Keep an eye on Facebook for the next "Where in the Cosmos" picture in a week. And if you haven't spotted the meteor yet ... look above the tree, just to the right of center.

More meteor shots:


Alan Boyle is msnbc.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter or adding Cosmic Log's Google+ page to your circle. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for other worlds.

Discuss this post

Nice!!

  • 1 vote
Reply#1 - Fri Apr 27, 2012 7:37 PM EDT

Makes you feel a bit smaller ....

The link ( Photographer captures meteor, aurora, Milky Way ) , is really good ....

Thanks Alan ....

    Reply#2 - Sat Apr 28, 2012 12:37 AM EDT

    Uber-cool.

      Reply#3 - Sat Apr 28, 2012 2:07 AM EDT

      It is very nice picture.

        Reply#4 - Sat Apr 28, 2012 2:41 AM EDT

        Great photo! Does Jeff Berkes have a gallery in Las Vegas? This photo reminds me of some I saw there recently.

          Reply#5 - Sat Apr 28, 2012 8:12 AM EDT

          Nice to see those awesome dark skies.

          • 1 vote
          Reply#6 - Sat Apr 28, 2012 9:53 AM EDT

          What a view. Living in LB, I never see the stars, unless I drive far away.

          Nice shot!

            Reply#7 - Sat Apr 28, 2012 10:15 AM EDT

            Absolutely one of the most beautiful photographs I have ever seen. You are an artist with a camera.

              Reply#8 - Sat Apr 28, 2012 2:07 PM EDT

              I barely exist in this myriad of celestial bodies...

                Reply#9 - Sun Apr 29, 2012 10:56 PM EDT
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