PERSEID METEOR SHOOTS ACROSS THE SKY OVER MOUNT CHARLESTON IN NEVADA, 2002-08-13 (photo)

The glowing trail of a Perseid meteor streaks across the sky over Mount Charleston, about 35 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada in this five-minute camera exposure in the early morning hours of August 13, 2002. The meteor shower is a result of the earth's orbit passing through debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle. The streaking light show is caused by small pieces of the comet burning up as they hit the atmosphere at a speed of 132,000 mph. The meteor shower is visible every August and gets its name from the fact that they appear to radiate from a point in the constellation Perseus. REUTERS/Ethan Miller EM