<p>Well, it's not a <em>Leonid</em> as it isn't on a trajectory that appears to radiate from Leo. But it might be a sporadic meteor, satellite, aeroplane, or your light reflecting off a wire.</p>
<p>Meteoroids in a shower are all travelling in the same direction through space (roughly) So when they hit the atmosphere they travel on parallel lines. Since we see this in perspective it appears that the meteors are radiating from a point in the sky, and for the Leonids, this point is in the constellation of &quot;Leo&quot; (hence the name).  Leo is off the left side of your photo, so any Leonid would be travelling from left to right in your picture.</p>
<p>However, it could be a meteor.  Even during a meteor shower, sporadic meteors are still seen and sporadic meteors could be traveling in any direction.  Meteors do look something like that when captured in a photograph: a streak, sometimes with a brighter head (caused by the meteoroid exploding as it hits the denser part of the atmosphere)</p>
<p>Other things can cause streaks on long-exposure photographs, from satellites to airplanes.</p>
<p>The person best placed to tell if it could be light reflecting off a telephone wire is <em>you</em> (the OP). You can go to the same location and see if there is a wire that runs there.  I can't see one, but the photograph is dark.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-17T23:14:38.123Z
Thanks James! Yeah I know there is a wire near there but in other photos from the same location, the wire was too dark to see. So I'm thinking it was a meteor, which if that's the case is pretty cool!
Ephraim H
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-17T14:15:13.120Z
2024-11-17T16:52:04.293Z
2024-11-17T16:52:04.293Z
James K
<p>I was out watching the Leonid meteor shower tonight and I think I may have actually gotten a photo of one with my phone camera, but I'm wondering if it's actually just light reflecting off a telephone wire? The possible shooting star is below orion and above the telephone pole in the bottom right of the photo. Any help is appreciated, thanks!</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/2URuF0M6.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/2URuF0M6.jpg" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-17T16:13:29.403Z
Impossible to say for sure from just the photo, but my money is on "not a meteor".  If you look at photos of other meteors, they generally have more variance to them, and are brightest in the middle.  If it's a long exposures, I'd say it's a satellite.
Greg Miller
<amateur-observing><meteor-shower>
Is this a Leonid in my photo is is it just light reflecting off a telephone wire?
Ephraim H
# Is this a Leonid in my photo is is it just light reflecting off a telephone wire?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-11-17)

I was out watching the Leonid meteor shower tonight and I think I may have actually gotten a photo of one with my phone camera, but I'm wondering if it's actually just light reflecting off a telephone wire? The possible shooting star is below orion and above the telephone pole in the bottom right of the photo. Any help is appreciated, thanks!

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/2URuF0M6.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/2URuF0M6.jpg)

**Tags:** amateur-observing, meteor-shower
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Impossible to say for sure from just the photo, but my money is on "not a meteor".  If you look at photos of other meteors, they generally have more variance to them, and are brightest in the middle.  If it's a long exposures, I'd say it's a satellite.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2024-11-17. Score: 0

Well, it's not a *Leonid* as it isn't on a trajectory that appears to radiate from Leo. But it might be a sporadic meteor, satellite, aeroplane, or your light reflecting off a wire.

Meteoroids in a shower are all travelling in the same direction through space (roughly) So when they hit the atmosphere they travel on parallel lines. Since we see this in perspective it appears that the meteors are radiating from a point in the sky, and for the Leonids, this point is in the constellation of "Leo" (hence the name). Leo is off the left side of your photo, so any Leonid would be travelling from left to right in your picture.

However, it could be a meteor. Even during a meteor shower, sporadic meteors are still seen and sporadic meteors could be traveling in any direction. Meteors do look something like that when captured in a photograph: a streak, sometimes with a brighter head (caused by the meteoroid exploding as it hits the denser part of the atmosphere)

Other things can cause streaks on long-exposure photographs, from satellites to airplanes.

The person best placed to tell if it could be light reflecting off a telephone wire is *you* (the OP). You can go to the same location and see if there is a wire that runs there. I can't see one, but the photograph is dark.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks James! Yeah I know there is a wire near there but in other photos from the same location, the wire was too dark to see. So I'm thinking it was a meteor, which if that's the case is pretty cool!  

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