See photos of the rare Perseid meteor shower and the Northern Lights

Stargazers had the best of both worlds this weekend – and the photos are breathtaking.

On Sunday, August 11, the rare Perseid meteor shower reached its peak, while many stargazers also caught a glimpse of the latest Northern Lights, which made for quite a spectacle, according to USA Today.

The Northern Hemisphere was the ideal viewing location for the Perseid meteor shower in the hours before dawn, but according to CBS News, NASA said it was also possible to see the meteors as early as 10 p.m. local time.

And the photos of the night sky around the world, from New York and Texas in the USA to Spain and Turkey, were beautiful.

According to NASA, the Perseids are “the most beautiful meteor shower of the year” because of their beautiful appearance and lush display in the night sky.

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Another special feature of the shower is that it leaves long trails of light and color on its way through the atmosphere.

While it is often rare to see a shooting star, the Perseids are an exciting meteor shower because they provide stargazers with ample opportunity to spot one (or more) as the Perseids zoom through the cosmos.

And on a clear day, about 50 to 100 meteors can be seen per hour.

If you missed August 11 and 12, there’s a chance to see a few scattered stars on August 13. However, the space agency pointed out that the Perseids, which are active until September 1, “tend to decline quickly after their peak.”

The next meteor shower to peak after the Perseids is the Orionids. They peak between October 20 and 21, but are active from September 26 to November 22, 2024.