NASA

Explanation: Dark skies are favored for viewing meteor showers -- so many are pessimistic about this year's Perseids. While the Perseid meteor shower is scheduled to peak this weekend, bright light from an almost full Moon will also flood the night and mask the majority of relatively faint meteors. Still, skygazing in the evening before the Moon rises (before about 10 PM local time) could reveal spectacular earthgrazing meteors. Persisting even later into the moonlit night can reward northern hemisphere watchers looking for occasional Perseid fireballs. In fact, astronomer Jimmy Westlake imaged this bright Perseid meteor despite the combination of moonlight and auroral glow over Colorado skies in August of 2000.

My explaination:

I chose this photo because when I first saw it I was like oh my gosh! It is beautiful! The photograph shows many different colors. Almost like a watercolor painting. To me, this photo could go in art galleries. The mountains in the background look so good with the colors in the back drop. I also chose this photo because of the shooting star. I have never seen a shooting star in the sky so when I saw this one it reminded me of all the wishes people wish because of the shooting star. I also remember watching movies where they see the shooting star, and it looks so magical.

Works Cited
Bonnell, Jerry T. Discovering the Cosmos. 11 Aug. 2006. Astronomy Picture of the day. Astronomy Picture of the Day Calandar. By Robert J. Nemiroff. 15 Feb. 2009 .
Westlake, Jimmy. "APOD: 2006 August 11 - Perseid in the Light." Astronomy Picture of the Day. 15 Feb. 2009 .