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
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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A cutting-edge art gallery opens in Paris
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Wander the ancient medina
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American goldfinch
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International Day for Biological Diversity
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Too awesome to be a planet
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Indigenous Peoples Day
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How green is my valley
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Dyavolski Most
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National Pumpkin Day
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Mid-Autumn Festival
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A long, erratic commute
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Bavarian Forest National Park, Germany
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National Take a Hike Day
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From garden to table?
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It s Teacher Appreciation Week
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Happy World Whale Day!
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Wild and beautiful Alaska
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Greater flamingos, Lüderitz, Namibia
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Let’s have a ball
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Through an artist s eyes
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An endless journey
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What s better than a smile?
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A Welsh wonder turns 70
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Whangārei Falls in New Zealand
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International Chameleon Day
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The moon rises for Mid-Autumn Festival
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Gray seal sleeping on the beach, Orkney Islands, Scotland
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Mardi Gras
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Staircase of turquoise pools
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Pont Rouge
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