The prolific Perseid meteor shower put on quite the show and we’ve rounded up some of the best photos from around the world to prove it.
With the moon only 10% illuminated during the peak period – the night of August 12 and before dawn on August 13 – conditions for viewing the Perseids were much better than last year which unfortunately saw meteors eclipsed by the full moon.
The Perseids are caused by Earth walking through debris – pieces of ice and rock – left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle which last passed close to Earth in 1992. The Perseid peak when Earth passes through the densest and dustiest zone on August 11-12. Years without moonlight see higher rates of meteors per hour, and in outburst years (like 2016) the rate can be between 150 and 200 meteors per hour!
Don’t worry if you didn’t catch any during the peak, the Perseid meteor shower remains active until around August 24, although fewer meteors per hour will be visible compared to the peak of the shower.
Related: Meteor shower guide: when is the next meteor shower?
Amateur astronomer Fotis Mavroudakis captured this beautiful photograph below on August 13, in the mountains of Drama, a town 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 nighttime conditions allowed me to create an image that not only showcases the brilliance of the meteor, but also showcases the grandeur of the cosmos. The vibrant trail of the meteor and the tranquil expanse of the night sky combine to create a sense of wonder and fascination.”
In the image below, a Perseid meteor crosses the sky along the Sphinx Gate in the ancient city of Hattusa, in the Bogazkale district of Corum, Turkey, on August 13, 2023.
A Perseid meteor lights up the sky on August 13, 2023 in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Golog, China’s Qinghai Province.
Here, a Perseid meteor crosses the skies of Leon, Spain.
The Sarpincik lighthouse was not the only sight to light up the sky in Karaburun district of Izmir, Turkey on August 13.
Phil Kirschner managed to capture an impressive Perseid meteor crossing the sky just below Jupiter.
“We counted 19 Perseids in 1 hour and wanted 1 more,” Kirschner told Space.com in an email. “I pointed the Samsung s22 at Jupiter and in less than 5 seconds on a 30 second shot I captured this Perseid.”
Below, a long Perseid train shines above the historic Phrygian Valley near Ihsaniye in the Afyonkarahisar district of Turkey.
Amateur astrophotographer Richard Rajah (Instagram @_astrorich) caught Perseid meteors and an impressive fireball while meteor hunting at Fremont Peak Observatory, California, USA
“Watching meteors and fireballs streak through the night was just as fun as watching the first one,” Rajah told Space.com in an email.
“Finding out that I managed to capture a few on my camera made my 80 mile trip out of town really interesting.”
Pictured below, above the verdant countryside of Ratnapura, Sri Lanka, a bright Perseid meteor streaks along the starry Milky Way.
The incredible green hue of a bright Perseid meteor is evident in this image captured Aug. 13 above the abandoned historic caravanserai, near Garmsar in Semnan province 123 kilometers southeast of Tehran, Iran.
Several Perseids have been spotted above Lick Observatory at Mount Hamilton in California, USA.
A bright Perseid meteor lights up the sky in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Golog in China’s Qinghai Province.
Skywatchers gather in the Karacabey district of Bursa, Turkey on August 12 to watch the prolific Perseid meteor shower.
A bright Perseid meteor shines alongside the bright lights of White Lake, North Carolina, USA
The stunning image below shows the Perseid meteor shower soaring above the Miyun National Observatory Station in Beijing, China.
The Perseid meteor shower lit up the sky over the Makhtesh Ramon area in the Negev desert in southern Israel.
A long Perseid train shines above the historic Phrygian Valley in the Ihsaniye district of Afyonkarahisar, Turkey.
If all of these Perseid photos have inspired you to up your photography game, check out our best cameras for astrophotography and our how to photograph a meteor shower guide to get help and advice.
Let us know if you take a great shot of the Perseid meteor shower (or any other night sky target)! You can send images and comments to [email protected].
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