Get ready for one of the most dazzling celestial displays of the year—the Perseid meteor shower. Active from mid-July through late August, this year it reaches its spectacular peak on the night of August 12 and into the early hours of August 13. The Perseids light up the skies when Earth passes through a trail of icy and rocky debris left behind by Comet Swift–Tuttle, which last passed close to our planet in 1992. These meteors are called the Perseids because they appear to streak from the direction of the constellation Perseus.
Perseid meteor shower over Nevada
Today in History
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From Sputnik to extraterrestrial storms
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Love blossoms
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Autumn in Alaska
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Ready for takeoff
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A circular celebration
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Emerald Bay and Fannette Island, Lake Tahoe, California
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May we have this dance?
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Ansel Adams birthday
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A day of service for Dr. King
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Brain coral
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Labor Day parade in 1915 Chicago
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Maloja, Switzerland
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Taking the scenic route
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The (Inca) empire strikes back
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Hooray, hooray, it s Unicorn Day!
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National Napping Day
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Wild and beautiful Alaska
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Memorial Day
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Día de los Muertos celebrations in Mexico
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Blink and you ll miss it
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A state-of-the-art lookout on the Rock of Gibraltar
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J.R.R. Tolkien Day
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In Sicily, history is everywhere
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National Public Lands Day
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Getting to the bottom of the underwater waterfall
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Happy Panda Day!
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Autumn in Central Park, New York
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Amelia Earhart
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Alam-Pedja Nature Reserve, Estonia
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Shark Awareness Day
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

