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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A bison preserve
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Camels in the desert, United Arab Emirates
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Groundhog Day
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Celebrating 30 years of eye-opening images
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A new park with a new mission
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A grotesque scene
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Lake Tai s cherry trees in bloom
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What are these creatures?
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Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
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The ‘Living Forest’ in Biscay, Spain
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Here s looking at you
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Midsummer in Sweden
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A viewer with a view
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Row, row, row your gondola
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Sand, sun, and sk8ers
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It’s Canada’s national day
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Astronomy Day
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‘You should see the one that got away!’
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Oh, happy day!
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A big place to shop small
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New York City skyline
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Design for Each and All
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Embracing the cold
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I ll call for pen and ink…
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A plot was afoot
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Piazza IX Aprile, Taormina, Sicily, Italy
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Sitka shines on Alaska Day
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Henningsvær Stadion, Norway
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The glowing waters of the Matsu Islands
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Pretty, pretty…butterfly?