This year’s Perseid meteor shower has wowed stargazers around the world, and Space.com readers have grabbed their cameras to capture the spectacular cosmic phenomenon.
Earth will pass through a cloud of debris left over from Comet Swift-Tuttle, causing the annual light show. This year’s meteor shower peak coincided with a much dimmer Moon than last year, when a full moon significantly reduced visibility. This year, a brilliant shooting star will be displayed for those looking for shooting stars.
If you haven’t seen the Perseids yet, don’t worry. Even though it has passed its peak, Earth will still be floating in pockets of cosmic dust until about August 24th.
Related: The 2023 Perseid meteor shower will excite stargazers around the world. Check out their great photos.
In the photo below, photographer John Turner captures the Perseid meteor shower against a rising crescent moon over Franklin, North Carolina, in the eastern United States.
On August 13th, a short evening hike high up in the mountains to an east-facing lookout gave me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be a part of this beauty. This was my first time taking astrophotography. I always think of the scenery given to me as a gift from the very universe I was allowed to capture with my camera.
John Turner
In his own words, “A north/northeast facing red moonrise gave us the sun’s clue that sunrise wasn’t too far away. I excitedly snapped the shutter and found myself against a twinkling starry sky.” Six or seven Perseid meteor streaks traveling in different directions were captured in one photograph.” Six second exposure. ”
Turner pointed his camera to the east/southeast and was also able to catch this meteor above a mountain ridge.
According to photographer Michele Orcello, who captured the boat near Glen Haven, Michigan, on August 12, the photo is called “Winken, Blinken, Nod.” The boat is standing next to some trees, and the bright green and white streaks of a meteor fall in the sky above.
Othello also pointed his camera at the barn in Glen Haven, capturing streaks of meteors above the dim white building.
Another building in the same barn highlights the shining Milky Way in a star-studded night sky.
This stunning view of the Milky Way was captured by John Birch in the Sierra Nevada Mountains north of Truckee on August 12th. “I feel awe whenever a meteor crosses the sky and I see the Milky Way,” he said. ”I love spending a few hours under the stars and away from the city lights. ”
Seeking to capture the beauty of the stars elsewhere in the world, Photis Mavroudakis took this image on August 13 from the mountains of Drama in northern Greece.
“I spent several hours capturing the celestial spectacle,” Mavroudakis told Space.com.
“The clear night conditions allowed us to create an image that not only accentuated the brilliance of the meteor, but also showed the grandeur of the universe. The vivid trails of the meteor combined with the tranquil expanse of the night sky, It creates a sense of wonder and enchantment.”
A special effort was put into the post from photographer Nick Boris on his part. As Boris told Space.com, “I stayed up 24 hours a day and photographed more than 70 meteors and made a composite of the 45 meteors I collected on Saturday evening. ” [August 12] until morning. ”
Another work by Boris depicts a total of 45 meteors falling from the sky, composited using driftwood in the foreground.
Taken from a farther distance than his previous shots, the photo shows Boris standing next to a campfire, staring up at the streaks of stars falling into the sky above the trees.
The Paul & Jane Meyer Observatory in Clifton, Texas was the perfect place for photographer Melanie Illich to set up her tripod.
“I watched the meteor shower while lying in a blanket,” she told Space.com. “As it unfolded, I was in awe of the experience…it seemed to be experiencing something special that many people weren’t aware of. The universe we couldn’t believe I realized that it was just a small part of the
By placing the observatory in frame, Illich managed to catch another meteor, and possibly something more.
“I believe [this photo] You can also see Comet Hartley next to the meteor,” she says.
The Perseid meteor shower can be seen until the end of the third week of August. So you still have time to go outside and take pictures of the meteor shower. Check out Space.com’s best cameras for astrophotography, as well as tips and advice on how to capture a meteor shower.