Miss your 3 a.m. Perseid wake-up call? See stunning photos here.
The Perseid meteor shower happens every August, but this time the light show has been one of the brightest displays in years because the incident coincided with a new moon.
Meteors streak across the sky over a Roman theatre in the ruins of Acinipio, during the Perseid meteor shower near Ronda, southern Spain, early Thursday morning.
Jon Nazca/Reuters
The show's been playing all week, but the high note came in the early hours of Thursday morning as the Perseid meteor shower offered a spectacular display of shooting stars and fireballs to intrepid skywatchers willing to wake pre-dawn.
The Perseids come every August, but this time the meteor shower has been one of the brightest displays seen in years because the incident coincided with a new moon.
If you have missed the past few days’ show, not to worry, you might still have another chance for a spectacular live show tomorrow morning – though astronomers say the Perseids have likely already performed their grand aria of light. But rest assured, we have you covered with some spectacular photos from across the globe.
Taken at 4:05 a.m, a meteor from the Perseid meteor shower streaks across the night sky in this view from the west side of Seneca Lake in Penn Yan, NY. The Seneca Lake shoreline provided an optimal viewing platform as clouds parted and dozens of meteors were visible in the pre-dawn hours. Photo courtesy of Lauren Long, The Syracuse Newspapers, and the Associated Press.
A stargazer waits for the Perseid meteor shower to begin near Bobcaygeon in Ontario, Canada on Wednesday. Photo courtesy of Fred Thornhill and Reuters.
A meteor streaks across the sky during the Perseid meteor shower at the Maculje archaeological site near Novi Travnik, Bosnia and Herzegovina in the early morning Thursday. Photo courtesy of Dado Ruvic and Reuters.
A meteor streaks across the sky over Leeberg hill during the Perseid meteor shower near Grossmugl, Austria, early Thursday morning. Photo courtesy of Heinz-Peter Bader and Reuters.
A long exposure view of Stonehenge during the annual Perseid meteor shower in Salisbury Plain, England, taken early Thursday morning. Photo courtesy of Kieran Doherty and Reuters.