Falling Star of an Ancient City

As seen on the National Geographic News a bright meteor (fireball) streaks the sky over ruins near the historic city of Damghan, Iran. The image is made during the peak of the 2011 Quadrantid meteor shower. The fireball has appeared in the constellation Corvus and planet Saturn (in Virgo) is brightest point on the left side. Click on the second photo to see the meteor persistent train; glowing ionized atoms because of the meteoroid encounter with the upper atmosphere. The faint smog-like cloud moves away during the several minutes of continuous shots because of high altitude winds. The foreground structure is remain of a water reservoir or a cistern made besides a large desert caravansary on the silk road, right outside the wall of an ancient city known as Qumis (or Hecatompylos as recorded by Greek historians). The ancient city is now buried under the desert here.