Lyrid Leftover

A meteor streaks out left-to-right from behind a cloud around 3:22 AM, Monday, April 23, 2012 as seen in the east sky from Bowman Woods Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Clouds from the west had begun to encroach on the Lyrid meteor shower radiant at this hour, further inhibiting viewing of all but very bright "falling stars" on this night--once removed from the peak display. The Lyrids, so named because they appear to emanate from the constellation Lyra, are dust debris shed from the tail of Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher. Overcast skies here the previous night precluded any observation on the peak night (actually early morning). This image is a 30-second exposure at f/3.5, 250 ISO and 18mm focal length. The cluster of stars below and right of the meteor streak make up the constellation Delphinus.