Predawn Perseid

A meteor streaks earthward (lower right), away from its radiant located in the area of the constellation Perseus (top center) just before 4:00 AM on August 12, 2010. I captured this "shooting star" in a 30-second exposure at f/4.5 and 200 ISO in the eastern sky despite distractions from mosquitos buzzing in my ears, noises from unseen animals in the tall weeds around me and intermittent rolling ground fog. Left of the meteor streak is the constellation Auriga. Above the streak is the star cluster Pleiades, The Seven Sisters. At right is the bright star Aldebaran in the constellation Taurus. This photo was taken one day before peak Perseid shower intensity from the grounds at Echo Hill Presbyterian Church in Marion, Iowa.