Dazzling Meteor Streaks Over Canary Islands (Photo)

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Milky Way and Meteor Over Canary Islands
Veteran astrophotographer Tamas Ladanyi of The World at Night took this image of a meteor cruising across a Milky Way-filled sky on May 15, 2013 from the mountainous island of Tenerife, Canary Islands. A Tajinste flower appears in the foreground. (Image credit: Tamas Ladanyi)

A meteor soars across a Milky Way-filled night sky over the Canary Islands in this beautiful photo.

Veteran astrophotographer Tamas Ladanyi of The World at Night took this image on May 15 from the mountainous island of Tenerife. A Tajinste flower appears in the foreground with a little light pollution seeping into the image from a nearby beach, according to the photographer.

Our cosmic home, The Milky Way galaxy, is roughly 100 light-years across and comprises nearly 400 billion stars. Earth resides on the Orion Arm of the galaxy, which is a spiral-shaped region of gas and dust located outside the Galactic Center. [Our Milky Way Galaxy: A Visitor's Guide (Infographic)]

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Nina Sen
Contributing Writer and Producer

Nina Sen is a freelance writer and producer who covered night sky photography and astronomy for Space.com. She began writing and producing content for Space.com in 2011 with a focus on story and image production, as well as amazing space photos captured by NASA telescopes and other missions. Her work also includes coverage of amazing images by astrophotographers that showcase the night sky's beauty.