13 unbelievable shots of this year’s Perseid meteor shower

ONCE A YEAR the Perseids take over our skies. Seen everywhere, but best seen in the Northern Hemisphere, the meteor shower is part of the comet Swift-Tuttle, and occurs when debris from the cloud behind the comet comes close to our atmosphere.

However some years are better than others, and this year was no exception due to the extra dark skies, with the half moon not rising until nearly dawn. Check out these incredible photographs captured by sleepy photographers around the world in the wee hours of the morning.

1. Big Sur, California

2. Plesivec, Slovakia

3. Karaman, Hungary

4. Frisco, Colorado

5. Haväng, Sweden

6. Ontario, Canada

7. A castle in France

8. Sutton, New Hampshire

9. Beltheim, Germany

10. Magdalena, New Mexico

11. A beach in Finland

12. Bavaria, Germany

13. A rainbow night sky