We can’t all gather on the southern Black Sea coast of Bulgaria to watch the Perseids meteor shower tonight, but perhaps this amazing photo from that location will inspire you to head outside for a look at your own skies. Every August, Earth passes through the trail of debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle. When Swift-Tuttle’s ‘dirty snowballs’ of dust, ice, rock, and other material hit Earth’s atmosphere, they burn up as the ‘shooting stars’ of the Perseids. If you can, get away from city lights any time between now and Aug 24, find a safe spot outside, and let your eyes adjust to the dark for about 30 minutes. Look to the northern portion of the sky, or find the Perseus constellation, and you’ll start seeing streaks of light tumbling through the sky.
Look to the north sky tonight for the Perseids
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Chilling out in the Arctic
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Sunburst at Angkor
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Silver-studded blue butterflies
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A magnificent monolith
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The old guard at Old San Juan
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Cherry blossoms in Shanghai, China
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Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in Hunan Province, China
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Welcome to the pack
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The first ascent
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Great Fountain Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
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Nazar amulets, Goreme National Park, Cappadocia, Turkey
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Celebrating whales—and a whale of a tale
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‘Hello’ from zero degrees longitude
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To the 155th on the 155th
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Spectacular views below!
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At the foot of Dubrovnik s Gibraltar
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Road to Sa Calobra, Majorca, Spain
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Take a hike near Lovers Lane
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Bald cypress trees in Georgia
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Füzér Castle in the Zemplén Mountains, Hungary
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Heron lies the Salton Sea
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A long, erratic commute
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International Day of the Tropics
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Black History Month
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Embracing the cold
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A Carpathian Christmas celebration
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From garden to table?
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Penguin Awareness Day
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Misool Island, Indonesia
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50 years of World Heritage Sites