Our cover picture ...
... comes from the page
www.obspm.fr/actual/nouvelle/jun05/meteor.en.shtml. Under the heading „First observation of a meteor in the Martian atmosphere” the description of the picture continues: The Martian meteor was discovered by a team of scientists that includes an astronomer from the Paris Observatory. The meteor was observed by the Spirit rover on 7 March 2004. The burned up dust particle comes from comet Wiseman-Skiff, whose orbit Mars came very close to. Meteor storms comparable to those of the Perseids or Leonids on Earth are even assumed. Simulations predict a meteor storm on Mars for 20 December 2007. Then one should look towards the constellation Cepheus, because that is where the radiant is, as seen from Mars, mind you! The cover picture shows the meteor in original size, enlarged and as a light curve.
