<p><strong>The Perseid meteor shower put on a celestial fireworks show early this this week, dazzling sky-watchers around the world with as many as 70 shooting stars per hour at peak times.</strong></p><p dir="ltr">In the above image, taken August 13, a lone Perseid meteor near the horizon joins a parade of stars circling the celestial pole marked by the North Star. This stunning shot is actually a composite of 250 individual images each 30 seconds long. (<a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/08/130812-perseids-meteor-shower-tips-science-skywatching-space/">See our top tips for enjoying the Perseid meteor shower</a>.)</p><p dir="ltr">Every mid-August, Earth slams into a cloud of debris left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle. This debris hits the atmosphere at high speeds, ionizing and producing streaks of light known as "shooting stars."</p><p dir="ltr">If you have a picture of the Perseid meteor shower and would like to submit it to National Geographic's <a href="http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/">Your Shot</a>, our editors will consider adding it to this gallery. Please include the hashtag <a href="http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/tags/meteor/">#meteor</a>.</p><p dir="ltr"><em>—Andrew Fazekas</em></p>