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A Perseid meteor seen in the sky over Semnan, Iran, on Aug. 12, 2026. | Credit: Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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.
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.
Photographer Morteza Nikoubazl also caught a Perseid meteor streaking beside the famous Pleaides star cluster as seen from Semnan, Iran.
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.
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.
Credit: Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images
