Smithsonian magazine's 22nd Annual Photo Contest | Made possible through the support of MPB.com

18th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Epsilon Perseids meteor

Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground, my dad often said. When I stepped out to click some Milkyway pictures last week in Qatar, I had a doubt if I would get any good clicks as I had canceled my plans three times earlier thanks to high humidity and dusty weather. The night didn’t disappoint me as I got some nice frames. As I started clicking the photos in the middle of nowhere the sky had to offer me something in surprise — the streaks of light passing by every now and then for almost two hours. I was not sure if any of those meteors were captured in the camera, as all that I had in my mind was take some photos and leave the place at the earliest. The blisters that developed after fire ant stings during one of the previous trips were still fresh in the mind (got only two blisters on the arm this time, thanks to those tiny fellows). While checking the photos, I was surprised to see Epsilon Perseids meteors captured in different frames at different spots at different times. Then got a doubt if they were meteors or the Iridium flares. However, I loved this one in particular as it was striking right in the middle of the core like an arrow.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 09.2020
Date Uploaded: 10.2020
Photo Location: AL Kharara, Qatar
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Copyright: © Chaitra Arjunpuri