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
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Bardenas Reales Biosphere Reserve and Natural Park, Spain
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European hedgehog in Sussex, England
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Astrotourism at its finest
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Antarctica Day
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Travel Sunday: On the Ganges in Varanasi, India
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The glowing waters of the Matsu Islands
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Back on the rise
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Diwali
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The Feathers at Frenchman Coulee near Vantage, Washington
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Happy New Year!
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Whale hello there!
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Sparkling ice diamonds on a black sandy beach
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Spring equinox
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Annivesary of the Wilderness Act of 1964
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Belted Galloway cows
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Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria, Germany
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International Day for Monuments and Sites
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It s tree-climbing season
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Gunnerside, Yorkshire Dales National Park, England
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Remembering the Arizona
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Darwin Day
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All hail the king of shrubs
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Going with the floe
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National Hummingbird Day
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Moon Day
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Great cormorants
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Skyscraper Day
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International Day for Biological Diversity
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Composite of photographs from the Apollo 15 mission
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The puffin-rabbit connection
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

