Get ready for one of the most dazzling celestial displays of the year—the Perseid meteor shower. Active from mid-July through late August, it reaches its spectacular peak on the night of August 12 into the early hours of August 13 this year. The Perseids light up the skies when Earth passes through a trail of icy and rocky debris left behind by Comet Swift–Tuttle, which last passed close to our planet in 1992. These meteors are called the Perseids because they appear to streak from the direction of the constellation Perseus.
Perseid meteor shower over Nevada
Today in History
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40 years of recovery
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Whooper swans
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Stars in daylight
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Small but mighty
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Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
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Keyholes to the kingdom
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Do pandas enjoy winter?
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World Ski and Snowboard Festival
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World Teachers Day
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Park of the Monsters
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Everglades National Park, Florida, United States
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Castilla-La Mancha, Spain
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American bison
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Plate-billed mountain toucan with orchids, Ecuador
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Seattle, Washington, United States
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International Whale Shark Day
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An oasis in a sea of sand
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Rocks and sand in the Sahara, Algeria
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A curious little otter pup
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Tolkien Reading Day
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Happy winter solstice!
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Total solar eclipse
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Misty mountain hop
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Tremola Road on the Saint Gotthard Pass in Airolo, Switzerland
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A book lover’s paradise
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Part science experiment, part public park
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International Beaver Day
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International Womens Day
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Modica, Sicily, Italy
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Third Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge connecting Laos and Thailand
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

