Dazzling shots of the 2015 Perseid meteor shower (pictures)
Often regarded as the best meteor shower of the year, the Perseids have been especially spectacular thanks to a mostly absent moon.
Perseids show off in 2015
A Perseid meteor sneaks past illuminated windmills near Gemuend, Germany. This shot was taken during the peak in activity of the annual meteor shower on August 13, 2015.
The phenomenon is a result of the Earth "shooting itself in the face" with comet debris as it passes through the cloud of space droppings left by Comet Swift-Tuttle.
Photo by Oliver Berg/AFP/Getty Images
Under Spanish skies
This shot was captured near dusk in Mallorca, Spain, with a 30-second exposure. Special guest appearance by some local radio towers.
Photo by Andres Nieto Porras/Flickr
Circles and shooting stars
This shot taken in Bavaria was captured over the course of a 129-minute exposure.
Photo by Dirk Essl/Flickr
Milky meteors
Faint Perseids dance over the summit of Mam Tor in England's Peak District. The Milky Way looks on.
Photo by Craig Rogers/Flickr
Taking cover
A Perseid meteor seems to be looking for a hiding place behind the Swiss Alps.
Photo by Philipp Eller/Flickr
Stacked shooting stars
This image is actually a combination of 7 stacked pictures taken over a 20 minute span in the Netherlands.
"The position of the stars corresponds to the sky on the first picture. I rotated the other photos following the sky's movement, to show the radiant of the Perseids," explains photographer Rayann Elzein.
Light for the lighthouse
Backlit by the Milky Way, a falling star crosses the night sky behind the lighthouse in Pilsum, Germany.
Photo by Matthias Balk/AFP/Getty Images
Reach out and touch someone
A Perseid meteor streaks across the sky above the Astronomical Institute of the Academy of Science of the Czech Republic. August 12, 2015.
Photo by Matej Divizna/Getty Images
Shooting stars and sparks
A faint meteor near the top of this image from Sweden is overshadowed by the sparks happening below.
Photo by Fredde Nilsson/Flickr