Stargazer's Photos Reveal Spectacular Arizona Night Sky, But No Meteors

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Night Sky Over Flagstaff During Perseid Meteor Shower Gresser
While hunting for images of the annual Perseid Meteor shower, Stephen Gresser captured this photo of the night sky from a location next to the Anderson Mesa Station of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Ariz. with a Canon 5D Mark II and a Canon EF 14mm 1:2.8 lens. The image was taken Aug. 9, 2013. (Image credit: Stephen Gresser | S.C. Gresser Photography)

While pursuing images of what turned out to be an elusive Perseid meteor shower, Stephen Gresser captured some spectacular photos of the night sky over Arizona.

Astrophotographer Stephen Gresser snapped this photo during the Perseid Meteor shower near Anderson Mesa Station in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Aug. 9, 2013. (Image credit: Stephen Gresser S.C. Gresser Photography)

"One great fireball with a good, long, sparkling tail lasted for nearly a second and a half, right in the middle of one of my exposures, but it didn't show up on the image," Gresser wrote SPACE.com via email.

Even if Gresser was unable to snap images of the Perseid meteor shower, his images reveal an absolutely spectacular view of the Arizona night sky. Gresser took these images Aug. 9,  from a spot next to the Anderson Mesa Station of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Ariz. with a Canon 5D Mark II (with official Canon firmware) using the "Bulb" setting, and a Canon EF 14mm 1:2.8 lens. The camera was generally set for ISO-5000 and 30-second exposures. [See amazing 2013 Perseid meteor photos by skywatchers]

Skywatchers from all over the world enjoyed this annual meteor shower, which is best viewed far away from city lights. The Perseid meteor shower is actually caused by bits of debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle and peaked in the late overnight hours on Aug. 11-12, and 12-13.

Editor's note: If you have an amazing night sky photo you'd like to share for a possible story or image gallery, please contact managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com.

Stephen Gresser took this image of the night sky during the Perseid Meteor shower from a location next to the Anderson Mesa Station of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Aug. 9, 2013. (Image credit: Stephen Gresser S.C. Gresser Photography)

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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.