If you were looking up into the sky overnight last night, you may have been delighted by the Perseid meteor shower, which is widely known as the brightest meteor shower and one of the best shooting star displays of the year.
Experts say there are about 50 meteors per hour — and they last until Sept. 1, as reported by TODAY.
People took to social media to capture what they were seeing, and the results are truly awe-inspiring, with some users even capturing the Northern Lights during the event.
“The Perseids are one of the most plentiful showers with about 50 to 100 meteors seen per hour. They occur with warm summer nighttime weather allowing sky watchers to comfortably view them,” says NASA.
How often does the Perseids meteor shower occur?
The 2024 Perseid meteor shower peaked around the night of Aug. 11 and before dawn on Aug. 12, with good viewing conditions for a few days on either side of the peak. So, you may still have a chance to catch it again tonight.
“The Perseid meteor shower, commonly known as the Perseids, is visible annually from mid-July to late August. Although the moon will be 50% illuminated during the peak of the Perseids this year, it will set around midnight, providing dark skies until dawn — ideal for meteor watching,” as reported by Space.com.
Although it occurs annually, there’s already anticipation for a potentially epic Perseid meteor storm in 2028, so mark your calendar now!
What is the Perseid Meteor Shower?
“The Perseids result from Earth passing through debris — bits of ice and rock — left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle, which last passed close to Earth in 1992,” Space.com reported. “The shower peaks around Aug. 11-12, when Earth travels through the densest and dustiest part of this debris. In years without moonlight, the meteor rate appears higher, and during outburst years (such as 2016), the rate can reach 150-200 meteors per hour.”
You can expect to see an average of up to 100 meteors per hour during the Perseid’s peak, according to NASA.
“Meteors come from leftover comet particles and bits from broken asteroids. When comets come around the Sun, they leave a dusty trail behind them. Every year Earth passes through these debris trails, which allows the bits to collide with our atmosphere and disintegrate to create fiery and colorful streaks, or ‘wakes,’ in the sky,” NASA explains.