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.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. (See our top tips for enjoying the Perseid meteor shower.)
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."
If you have a picture of the Perseid meteor shower and would like to submit it to National Geographic's Your Shot, our editors will consider adding it to this gallery. Please include the hashtag #meteor.
—Andrew Fazekas
