The Perseids [peaked last night](http://earthsky.org/tonight/peak-night-for-the-perseid-meteor-shower) in all their meteoric glory, lighting up the night sky with hundreds of shooting stars.

As the [biggest meteor shower](http://io9.com/the-best-meteor-shower-of-the-year-is-tonight-and-here-1723568562) of the year, the Perseids are highly anticipated every August, but this year is was particularly spectacular because they coincided with a New Moon. With our lunar satellite in its darkest phase, the Perseids were the center of the celestial stage last night, dazzling stargazers around the world.

> Nova oportunitat per caçar [#Perseids](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Perseids?src=hash) aquesta nit [http://t.co/vyWhTKFrD9](http://t.co/vyWhTKFrD9) (Foto: J4um3) [#324eltemps](https://twitter.com/hashtag/324eltemps?src=hash) [pic.twitter.com/MCbhYXk22d](http://t.co/MCbhYXk22d)  
> &#x2014; Alberto Alcántara (@alcantara\_alb) [August 13, 2015](https://twitter.com/alcantara_alb/status/631895569720475648)

Scroll on for a roundup of the best pictures and videos of this iconic meteor shower, and if you missed it last night, fear not&#x2014;the show will continue tonight.

A view of the Perseids meteor shower from the Jura mountains, Switzerland

The Perseids 2015

Video: [Alastair Scott/YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCgeucoi9oo)

> 08.12.15: In all the shots taken & all the [#Perseids](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Perseids?src=hash) meteors that zipped through, only one stood out. [pic.twitter.com/9JAPcs18l0](http://t.co/9JAPcs18l0)  
> &#x2014; D☈D (@drdabroholos) [August 13, 2015](https://twitter.com/drdabroholos/status/631873866055467008)

On August 12, meteor experts from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center provided commentary during NASA Television’s live coverage of the annual Perseid meteor shower. The Perseids have been observed for at least 2,000 years and are associated with the comet Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the sun once every 133 years. Every August, the Earth passes through a cloud of the comet’s debris. This debris field consists of bits of ice and dust — most over 1,000 years old — and burns up in Earth’s atmosphere to create one of the best meteor showers of the year.

Perseid meteor shower on NASA TV

Video: [NASA/YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIvVLyltJe8)

> Photo "Perseids" by Mahmoud Darwish ([@meywd](https://twitter.com/meywd)) [#500px](https://twitter.com/hashtag/500px?src=hash) [#meteors](https://twitter.com/hashtag/meteors?src=hash) [#perseids](https://twitter.com/hashtag/perseids?src=hash) [#Polaris](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Polaris?src=hash) [#space](https://twitter.com/hashtag/space?src=hash) [#astro](https://twitter.com/hashtag/astro?src=hash) [#jo](https://twitter.com/hashtag/jo?src=hash) [https://t.co/xepnw6OzqZ](https://t.co/xepnw6OzqZ)  
> &#x2014; Mahmoud Darwish (@meywd) [August 13, 2015](https://twitter.com/meywd/status/631886411675734016)

> [@SPACEdotcom](https://twitter.com/SPACEdotcom) 2 shots I took of the [#Perseids](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Perseids?src=hash) yesterday evening! The first pic you can see as it hit the atmosphere! [pic.twitter.com/9Mk4kph7ij](http://t.co/9Mk4kph7ij)  
> &#x2014; Murdock Photography (@MurdockPhotos) [August 13, 2015](https://twitter.com/MurdockPhotos/status/631870647728275456)

> Las visteis? [#igersleonesp](https://twitter.com/hashtag/igersleonesp?src=hash) [#leonesp](https://twitter.com/hashtag/leonesp?src=hash) [#perseidas](https://twitter.com/hashtag/perseidas?src=hash) [#perseids](https://twitter.com/hashtag/perseids?src=hash) [#estrellas](https://twitter.com/hashtag/estrellas?src=hash) [#stars](https://twitter.com/hashtag/stars?src=hash) [#shootingstar](https://twitter.com/hashtag/shootingstar?src=hash)&#x2026; [http://t.co/n6DMsekixB](http://t.co/n6DMsekixB)) [pic.twitter.com/BTZneZEg9t](http://t.co/BTZneZEg9t)  
> &#x2014; Yezrael Perez (@Yez\_Mosby) [August 13, 2015](https://twitter.com/Yez_Mosby/status/631868864809320448)

FYI.

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The Best Photos from Last Night’s Perseid Meteor Shower Peak

FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

The Best Photos from Last Night’s Perseid Meteor Shower Peak

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