The Perseid meteor shower peak was spectacular: Here are our favorite photos

The Perseid meteor shower reached its peak last night, leaving stargazers in awe as thousands of shooting stars streaked across the sky shortly after a total solar eclipse darkened the sun over Greenland, Iceland, and Spain. As Earth traverses the debris trail left by the ancient comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, tiny fragments of ice and dust collide with our planet at an astonishing 37 miles (59 kilometers) per second.

The resulting meteors often burn up in Earth's atmosphere, creating a brilliant display visible to the naked eye. Amateur photographers rushed to capture the celestial spectacle, particularly during the dark nights surrounding the August new moon. Among the stunning photos is one by Dimitar Birachoski from Ohrid, Macedonia, who managed to capture several Perseid meteors over Galicica National Park on August 12, 2026, using a Nikon Z6iii camera.

Birachoski noted the presence of the Pleiades, Andromeda galaxy, and Milky Way alongside the Perseids. Another photograph shows a Perseid meteor passing near the famous Pleiades star cluster as seen from Semnan, Iran. In Israel, a Perseid meteor was witnessed just after sunset over the Negev Desert, while another was spotted alongside the setting sun in the same region. The Milky Way also graced the skies over the Negev Desert during the shower.