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Fireflies and stars

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May 26, 2014

One great offshoot of this weekend’s feeble Camelopardalis meteor shower was that people captured great photos. And, since it’s nearly northern summer, fireflies sometimes photobombed the shot. Check out the cool photos below. Thanks to all who post photos at EarthSky Facebook!

Click here to see meteor photos.

Guy Livesay wrote, “How many times do the lightning bugs blink and how far do stars travel in 52 minutes? If you’ve ever wondered about that, then here’s your answer!” Thank you, Guy!

Greg Hogan wrote, “I took this [Friday] night while awaiting for the meteor shower. You can see the north pole star in the lower right corner. As you can see all the stars rotate around it through the night. You can also see the fireflies in the image, there was 1000’s of them!” Thank you, Greg.

Dale Forest caught some fireflies while waiting to see the Camelopardalid meteor shower, too. He wrote: “Just a few fireflies below the Big Dipper while watching for meteors. One small meteor was in the lower left side of the image.” Thank you, Dale.

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May 26, 2014

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Deborah Byrd

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About the Author:

Deborah Byrd (asteroid 3505 Byrd) helps edit EarthSky.org and is a frequent host of EarthSky videos. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named in her honor in 1990, a Public Service Award from the National Science Board in 2003, and the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2020. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.