XINJIANG, CHINA - AUGUST 13: A man watches the Perseid meteor shower on the Pamir Plateau on August 13, 2021 in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)
Perseids: 2021's most active meteor shower in pictures
The best images of this year's annual meteor shower from around the world.
The Perseid meteor shower occurs every year from 23 July through to 24 August, when the Earth passes through the dust of the 109P/Swift-Tuttle comet. Dust particles hit the Earth's upper atmosphere and burn, which can be seen down on the ground as ameteor shower.
The shower peaked on the 12-13 August, but you still may be able to see some action over the next few nights, providing the sky is clear.
The results are a spectacular sight, so we've put together an image gallery of some of the best images of the light show from around the world.
Kuklice, Republic Of North Macedonia
Two hundred stacked digital images of long exposures show Perseid meteors crossing the sky over the stone dools in Kuklice, near the eastern city of Kratovo, Republic of North Macedonia, early 13 August 2021. The Perseid meteor shower occurs every year in August when the Earth passes through debris and dust of the Swift-Tuttle comet.Photo by Georgi Licovski/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Pamir Plateau, China
A man watches the Perseid meteor shower on the Pamir Plateau on 13 August 2021 in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. Photo by VCG/Getty Images
Izmir, Turkey
A Perseid meteor streaks across the night sky over Izmir, Turkey on 13 August 2021. Photo by Mahmut Serdar Alakus/Anadolu Agency /Getty Images
Tatarstan, Russia
A view of the Perseid meteor shower over the Church of St Paraskevi of Iconium on the 13 August, in the village of Russkoye Khodyashevo, in the Russian Republic of Tatarstan. Photo by Yegor Aleyev/TASS/Getty Images
Guadalajara, Spain
A meteor crossingthe summer night sky over a dead tree on the 13 August 2021, during the Perseid meteor shower inBrihuega, Guadalajara, Spain. Photo by Marcos del Mazo/LightRocket/Getty Images
Spruce Knob, USA
In this 30 second exposure, a meteor streaks across the sky during the annual Perseid meteor shower, on Wednesday 11 August 2021, in Spruce Knob, West Virginia, USA. NASA Photo by Bill Ingalls/UPI/Alamy
Didgori, Georgia
Meteors streak past stars in the night sky above the Battle of Didgori memorial complex during the annual Perseid meteor shower at Didgori, Georgia, 13 August 2021. Photo by Reuters/Irakli Gedenidze/Alamy
The Milky Way galaxy is pictured as a Perseid meteor streaks across the sky above the Negev desert near the Israeli city of Mitzpe Ramon, on 12 August 2021, during the yearly meteor shower. Photo by Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images
Norfolk, UK
A meteor during the Perseid meteor shower seen over Happisburgh lighthouse on the 6 August, Norfolk, UK. Photo by Joe Giddens/Alamy
Piano Visitone, Italy
This image of a meteor streaking through the sky was taken at Piano Visitone, Southern Italy, on the 6 August 2021. Photo by Giuseppe Donatiello
Porma Lake, Spain
This image, which has been created using multiple photographs, shows meteors along the Milky Way in the sky above Porma Lake, Leon, Spain, on the 5 August 2021. Photo by Samuel de Roman/Getty Images
James Cutmore is the picture editor of BBC Science Focus Magazine. He has worked on the magazine and website for over a decade, telling compelling science stories through the use of striking imagery. He holds a degree in Fine Art, and has been nominated for the British Society of Magazine Editors Talent Awards, being highly commended in 2020. His main areas of interest include photography that highlights positive technology and the natural world. For many years he was a judge for the Wellcome Trust's image competition, as well as judging for the Royal Photographic Society.
