The best meteor shower of the year is upon us right now. If you go outside to a dark enough place, far from the city lights, you may spot tons of shooting stars during the annual Perseid meteor shower. We’ve scoured the web for the photos, and we took a few of our own, too.
The Perseids are created when pieces of Comet Swift-Tuttle hit Earth’s atmosphere and burn up in the air, creating vivid strikes across the night sky. During the next few nights, you’ll still have the chance to spot dozens of Perseid meteors — so don’t miss the shower’s peak! Check out io9’s helpful guide to catching the best show here.
Three Perseid meteors (and an aeroplane) streak across the sky above the ruins of a medieval castle in Nógrád, Hungary. I created this composite image from 30 second exposure shots.
Photo: Attila Nagy/Gizmodo
A Perseid meteor over the community of Cold Creek in the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, Nevada.
Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
A meteor behind a grain elevator in Baxter, Iowa.
Photo: Charlie Riedel/AP
Stars and a meteor are seen behind the ruins of a house near Tuzla, Bosnia.
Photo: Amel Emric/AP
A Perseid meteor streaks across the sky in El Escorial, outside Madrid, in the early hours of Thursday, August 13, 2015.
Photo: Francisco Seco/AP
A meteor is seen over a farm near Tonganoxie, Kansas.
Photo: Orlin Wagner/AP
A meteor over the windmills of Tés, Hungary.
Photo: Péter Komka/MTI
A Perseid meteor and the Milky Way captured last night in Lajosmizse, Hungary.
Photo: Sándor Ujvári/MTI
Three Perseids and the Milky Way, Cura, Llucmajor, Mallorca, Spain.
Photo: Andrés Nieto Porras
Perseid meteors as observed by NASA meteor and All Sky cameras.
Photos: NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center
More #Perseid shots from Twitter and Flickr:
Taken at Rosebery Reservoir, Midlothian tonight. @LothianASTRO @VirtualAstro #Perseid #meteor pic.twitter.com/tExsYFEmMN
— Ian (@kn0xvi11ain) August 13, 2015
This was massive and red!! #perseids all my best shots have been with my south facing camera, btw. pic.twitter.com/LZpZlfH14u
— Neil Zeller (@Neil_Zee) August 13, 2015
A composite of the #Perseids I caught with the camera before the cloud rolled in. @VirtualAstro #northumberland pic.twitter.com/ATilMdNO16
— Andy Gray (@andrewsgray) August 13, 2015
Crucial equipment for watching tonight’s #Perseid meteors: chair, blanket, and Zen patience. http://t.co/UvApHg2ccy pic.twitter.com/eFfoYVxhyj
— Corey S. Powell (@coreyspowell) August 13, 2015
Photo: David Illig
Photo: nothing-but-photography