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The Perseid meteor shower peaked last night in spectacular fashion, dazzling stargazers as countless shooting stars blazed overhead mere hours after a total solar eclipse saw the lunar disk hide the sun over Greenland, Iceland and Spain.
Perseid shooting stars appear as Earth enters the debris trail cast off by the icy comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle . Each year, countless shards of this ancient comet collide with our wandering planet. What follows is truly spectacular.
Most are no larger than a particle of dust, or grain of sand. Yet the incredible velocity at which they strike our atmosphere — 37 miles (59 kilometers) per second on average — sees many carve a fiery path as they disintegrate in Earth's sky, which is easily visible to the naked eye.
Countless photographers were primed and ready to capture this magnificent display as Earth passed through the densest region of Swift-Tuttle debris trail, heralding the appearance of hundreds of shooting stars .
Read on to see a selection of our favorite photos of the 2026 Perseid meteor shower, taken in the beautifully dark nights surrounding the August new moon phase.
Best photos of the 2026 Perseid meteor shower
One of our readers sent in this gorgeous shot. Dimitar Birachoski, from Ohrid, Macedonia caught several Perseid meteors streaking over Galicica National Park on Aug. 12, 2026, using a Nikon Z6iii camera.
"I've got the Pleiades, Andromeda galaxy and Milky Way with the Perseids," Birachoski told Space.com via email.
(Image credit: Dimitar Birachoski) Photographer Morteza Nikoubazl also caught a Perseid meteor streaking beside the famous Pleaides star cluster as seen from Semnan, Iran.
(Image credit: Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images) Meanwhile, a Perseid meteor was spotted as the setting sun illuminated the skies over the Negev Desert in southern Israel, on Aug. 11, 2026.
(Image credit: Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images) The Milky Way Galaxy also showed its face during the Perseid meteor shower over the Negev Desert on Aug. 11, 2026.
(Image credit: Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images) This long streak left by a Perseid meteor was photographed above Pedernales Falls State Park in Johnson City, Texas on Aug. 12, 2026.
(Image credit: Rick Kern/Getty Images) A meteor (left) lit up the night sky during the Perseid meteor shower just hours after a total solar eclipse was seen from San Asensio, Spain on Aug. 12, 2026.
(Image credit: ANDER GILLENEA / AFP via Getty Images) Farther east, Ismail Aslandag caught a green meteor above Ucayak Church in Kirsehir, Turkiye on Aug. 12, 2026.
(Image credit: Ismail Aslandag/Anadolu via Getty Images) This long exposure captures Earth's rotation in the form of circular star trails. A Perseid "shooting star" lit up the swirling scene above Shaoguan in China's Guangdong Province on Aug. 12, 2026.
(Image credit: Wang Fanlu/VCG via Getty Images) Farther north, photographer Fan Chengzhu saw a Perseid meteor streaking into the distance over Shitan Village in China's Anhui Province on Aug. 13, 2026.
(Image credit: Fan Chengzhu/VCG via Getty Images) Earth won't break free of Swift-Tuttle's debris trail until Aug. 24, so there are still plenty of Perseids to be seen brightening the summer sky if you're a little late to the show. Just be prepared for a significantly lower hourly rate compared to the peak.
Want to try your hand at capturing one? Then be sure to read our guide to photographing shooting stars , along with our roundups of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography .
Editor's Note: Did you snag a photo of a Perseid and want to share it with Space.com's readers? Then please send your photo(s), comments, name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
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