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The Subaru Telescope Records Perseid Meteor Shower and SpaceX’s Starlink Satellites
Perched atop a towering Hawaiian mountain, the Subaru Telescope is equipped to capture visible light and heat waves. Recently, it managed to capture a stunning view of the Perseid meteor shower and a procession of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites speeding through the sky. The event took place on August 12 and 13 in Hawaii, United States.
During this time, the telescope recorded 15 distinct dots racing across the night sky. These dots were actually the Starlink satellites, which coincidentally appeared alongside the Perseid meteor shower. Despite their extraterrestrial appearance, they were simply part of a collection of satellites moving swiftly through space.
The combination of the Perseid meteor shower and SpaceX’s satellites created a truly remarkable spectacle, illuminating the night sky. The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) even released a video on August 17, 2023, showcasing the 15 Starlink satellites seen at Subaru Telescope in Maunakea, Hawaii.
The Subaru Telescope is an observatory with a large mirror positioned on top of a Hawaiian mountain, enabling it to capture even the faintest traces of light from space. Its design allows it to perceive both visible light and heat waves, making it a valuable tool for studying celestial phenomena.
The Perseid meteor shower occurs when the Earth’s outer atmosphere interacts with debris left behind by Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. This interaction creates a beautiful display of meteors streaking across the sky. NASA confirms that this annual meteor shower is the result of the interaction between space debris and the Earth’s atmosphere.
The Perseid meteor shower takes place between August 12 and 13 every year, as the meteoroids complete their 133-year orbit around the Sun. These meteoroids travel at an astonishing speed of 60 kilometers per second and can be observed with the naked eye or a telescope during the period from mid-July to the end of August.
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