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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Short-eared owl
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Lake Bled, Slovenia
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A long path to freedom
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Christmas Bird Count turns 125
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Atlanta Botanical Garden
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Winter scenery near Kuhmo, Finland
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Cheetah mother and cub
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50 years of the Endangered Species Act
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Mother s Day
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Wandering Watkins Glen
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Hooray, hooray, it s Unicorn Day!
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Tulips, Netherlands
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A treaty for science
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Visiting a Maratha fortress
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Harvest season begins
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A grotesque scene
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National Park Week: Everglades National Park
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Sweetheart Abbey, Scotland
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Satellite image of sand and seaweed in the Bahamas
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Observing a squirrelly day
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Okefenokee Swamp
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Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
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International Tea Day
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World Turtle Day
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Flower of Life symbol drawn in snow
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National Park Week: Olympic National Park, Washington
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A bridge comes full circle
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A hit ballet, long after its debut
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Gray seal pup, Norfolk, England
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Skyscraper Day