The Perseid meteor shower reached its peak, and stunning photos captured moments of the meteor shower around the world.
“The Perseids, which peak in mid-August, are considered the best meteor shower of the year,” according to NASA. “With swift and bright meteors, Perseids frequently leave long ‘wakes’ of light and color behind them as they streak through Earth’s atmosphere.”
Summer’s popular meteor shower began on July 17, and will continue until the end of August.
But, the night of Tuesday, Aug. 12 is when the shower peaked, meaning it was when the most meteorites, or shooting stars, could be seen streaking across the sky.
Less than ideal conditions to see meteor showers
Usually, during its peak, there will be up to 50 to 75 meteors per hour under ideal conditions, according to the American Meteor Society. The meteor shower is also known to produce very bright meteors, often referred to as fireballs.
However, in 2025, the showers’ peak would not meet these ideal conditions because the moon will be too bright, Robert Lunsford, the American Meteor Society’s newsletter editor and fireball report coordinator, previously told USA TODAY.
Fortunately, the less-than-perfect conditions didn’t stop people from going to capture photos of the Perseids and the gorgeous night sky.
People feeling a bit of FOMO can still catch a glimpse of the meteor shower over the weekend. While they may not see as many shooting stars, people can still catch the dazzling show until the meteor shower ends on Aug. 23.
See photos of the the Perseid meteor shower
Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. Connect with her on LinkedIn, X, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Perseid meteor shower 2025: See photos of its peak
