The peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower may have passed (this year, peak activity fell overnight from Aug. 12 to Aug. 13), but the skies of Earth are still ablaze with shooting stars.
The Perseids began on July 14 and run through Sept. 1, 2023, as Earth passes through the vast field of rocky debris left in our path by Comet Swift-Tuttle. Known as one of the most dazzling meteor showers visible in the Northern Hemisphere, the Perseids have inspired stargazers and astrophotographers around the world to trek into the darkness and train their cameras up at the sky, hoping to witness up to 100 shooting stars per hour.
Here are some of our favorite photos of the 2023 Perseid meteor shower that have been shared so far.
This time-lapse photo shows star trails and Perseid meteors swirl over Makhtesh (crater) Ramon in the Negev Desert of Southern Israel during the Perseids peak.
A lone Perseid meteor streaks over the Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the Qinghai Province of China during the shower's peak on on August 13, 2023.
Perseid meteors fall over Red Church and Guzelyurt Monastery Valley in Guzelyurt district of Aksaray, Turkey on August 12, 2023.
A large Perseid meteor blasts over A Veiga in Galicia, Spain.
An abandoned caravanserai (roadside inn) near the city of Garmsar in Semnan province, southeast Tehran, sits beneath passing Perseid meteors on August 13, 2023.
A meteor falls across the sky during the Perseid meteor shower at Pedernales Falls State Park on August 13, 2023 in Johnson City, Texas.
Another time-lapse photo shows star trails and Perseid meteors falling over Okayama, Japan, in Aug. 2023.
A large meteor falls across the night sky over the Lick Observatory during the Perseid meteor shower at Mount Hamilton in California, United States on August 13, 2023.
The Perseid meteor shower seen in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province of China on on August 14, 2023.
The Perseid meteor shower as seen over Euphrates poplar trees in Yiwu County, Hami City, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China on August 14, 2023.
