Interesting Photo of the Day: Exploding Meteor

Interesting Photos

A photographer’s skill plays the biggest role in determining how good an image turns out. But having a little luck on your side can help. Take, for instance, the following image that photographer Chaibhav took from Rattlesnake Lake, Washington. Although he was out there to photograph the Milky Way, he got to capture a shot that is definitely one in a million:

“An Exploding Meteor” by Coty Spence (Via Reddit. Click image to see full size.)

He shot the image using a Nikon Z6 and a 20mm f/1.8G lens at f/1.8, 15s and ISO 1250. He was shooting a timelapse of the Milky Way when this bolide from the Perseids meteor shower made its way into the shot. And, boy, is it spectacular or what?

“This is one image from a series of 300+ images I took of the Milky Way for a time-lapse. I believe this was one of the last 5 frames and so I got really lucky.”

What really makes this image special is the fact that the meteor appears to be split in half while being burnt up in the earth’s atmosphere. This is why you can notice the two-headed structure on the right. And the intensity with which it is burning up must’ve been phenomenal. It’s so bright that you will be forgiven for missing the Milky Way entirely—the original subject of the image, toward the right.

The photographer was indeed very lucky to have been able to capture this shot. Had you witnessed this shooting star, would you have prayed for one wish or two?