Annual Perseid Meteor Shower lights up the night sky

The annual Perseid Meteor Shower happens every year around August 12, and it’s known as one of the most spectacular showers of the year. It’s called the “Perseid” shower because the meteors seem to emanate from the constellation Perseus, although the true source of the meteors is debris from the Swift-Tuttle comet, which rides a 133-year orbit around the Earth.

The highest concentration of meteors usually occurs between August 11 and August 13, with people in the Northern Hemisphere often reporting seeing 50 to 100 meteors per hour, although you can still spot Perseid meteors a few weeks before and after those dates. And this year’s shower was particularly brilliant because it coincided with a waxing crescent moon, meaning the night sky was exceptionally dark.

If you missed out on this year’s shower, fear not. We’ve got some photos taken of the shower from California’s White Mountains, so you can get an idea of what you didn’t see.