prolific Perseid meteor shower I put on quite a show. To prove it, we’ve collected some of the best photos from around the world.
and moon Unfortunately, viewing conditions for the Perseids were much better than last year, with only 10% illumination during peak hours (on the night of August 12 and before dawn on August 13). meteor beat full moon.
The cause of the Perseid meteor shower earth Move through debris (ice and rock fragments) Comet Swift-Tuttle The last time it came close to Earth was in 1992. The Perseid meteor shower peaks on August 11-12, when the Earth passes through the densest and dustiest regions. Moonless years have a higher rate of meteors per hour, and bursty years (such as 2016) can have 150-200 meteors per hour.
If you didn’t catch anything during the peak, don’t worry. The Perseid meteor shower remains active until about August 24, but he sees fewer meteors per hour than at the peak of the meteor shower.
Related: Meteor Shower Guide: When is the next meteor shower?
Amateur astronomer Photis Mavroudakis captured this beautiful photo below on August 13 in the mountains of urban drama in northern Greece. The Nestos River flows in the foreground.
“I spent several hours capturing the celestial spectacle,” Mavroudakis told Space.com in an email.
“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.”
In the image below, the Perseid meteor traverses the sky along the Sphinx Door of the ancient city of Hattusha in the Bogazkale district of Corum, Turkey on August 13, 2023.
The Perseid meteor lights up the sky in Gorog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai, China, on August 13, 2023.
Here in León, Spain, the Perseid meteor streams across the sky.
The Salpinczyk lighthouse wasn’t the only sight that lit up the sky over the Karaburun district of Izmir, Turkey, on August 13.
A long train of Perseid meteor showers below illuminates the sky above the historic Phrygian Valley near Ihsanye in Turkey’s Afyonkarahisar district.
Amateur Astrophotographer Richard Rajah (Instagram @_astrorich) Caught several Perseids and an impressive fireball during a meteor hunt at the Fremont Peak Observatory in California, USA.
“Watching the meteors and fireballs roll in through the night was as much fun as the first time I saw them,” Rajah told Space.com in an email.
“We were able to get a few shots on camera, which definitely made the 80-mile trip out of town worthwhile.”
In the photo below, a bright Perseid meteor streaks along the star-studded Milky Way above the lush countryside of Ratnapura, Sri Lanka.
The incredible green hue of a bright Perseid meteor looms over the abandoned historic caravanserai near Garmsar, Semnan Province, 77 miles (123 km) southeast of Tehran, Iran, on August 13. It is clear in this image taken.
Several Perseid meteor showers were spotted over Lick Observatory in Mount Hamilton, California, USA.
A bright Perseid meteor lit up the sky over Gorog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai, China.
On August 12, skywatchers gathered in the Karacabey district of Bursa, Turkey, to observe the prolific Perseid meteor shower.
Perseid meteor shower with bright lights over White Lake, North Carolina, USA
The stunning image below shows the Perseid meteor shower in full bloom above the Miyun Station of the National Astronomical Observatory in Beijing, China.
The Perseid meteor shower illuminated the skies over the Maktesh Ramon region of the Negev Desert in southern Israel.
A long Perseus train shines high above the historic Phrygian Valley in the Ifsaniye district of Afyonkarahisar, Turkey.
If all these Perseid meteor shower photos inspired you to sharpen your photography skills, check out our photos. Best camera for astrophotography and our How to take pictures of meteor showers A guide for help and advice.
If you get a nice photo of the Perseid meteor shower (or any other night sky target), let us know. Images and comments can be sent to spacephotos@space.com.