A perseid!

So, a little after midnight, in a lonely car-park at the Great Fen, I finally captured a meteor trail, which can be seen just to the left of the bog-oak boundary post. In the distance you can just see the tree-line of Holme Fen National Nature Reserve, and the light-glow on the right-hand side is from Ramsey. A sheet of cloud is approaching from the west, reflecting the much stronger orange glow emanating from Peterborough.

As well as the meteor you can quite clearly see the Pleiades or Seven Sisters between the two tall posts. This is among the nearest star clusters to Earth and is the cluster most visible to the naked eye in the night sky. The nine brightest stars, all of which can be seen if you click on the magnifying glass, are named for the Seven Sisters of Greek Mythology: Stereope, Merope, Electra, Maia, Taygeta, Celaeno and Alcyone, along with their parents Atlas and Pleione.

PS Much better viewed LARGE!

PPS Have a look at yesterday's entry to see the International Space Station crossing the Milky Way