Get ready for one of the most dazzling celestial displays of the year—the Perseid meteor shower. Active from mid-July through late August, it reaches its spectacular peak on the night of August 12 into the early hours of August 13 this year. The Perseids light up the skies when Earth passes through a trail of icy and rocky debris left behind by Comet Swift–Tuttle, which last passed close to our planet in 1992. These meteors are called the Perseids because they appear to streak from the direction of the constellation Perseus.
Perseid meteor shower over Nevada
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Brown-throated three-toed sloth
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Anniversary of Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah, United States
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Shell-ebrating sea turtles
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Common raven
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Winter wonderland for your wallet
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Distillery Winter Village
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Blurring the lines with wearable art
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Bathing boxes at Brighton Beach, Australia
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Happy Mothers Day!
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Crescent-tail bigeye fish, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
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European beech forest, Belgium
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Apples ready for harvest, Minnesota, United States
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Pride Month
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Prayer flags in Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan
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Spring equinox
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Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario
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Scotts Bluff National Monument, Gering, Nebraska, United States
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Let’s go to the Ex!
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May the 4th be with you
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As curious about you as you are about them
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Hide-and-go-seek world champion
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The Bahamas
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Pacific Rim Whale Festival
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A rainbow that’s worth the rainfall
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Black-naped monarch
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Moeraki Boulders, South Island, New Zealand
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Via Krupp, Capri, Italy
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Giving Tuesday
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Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
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International Day of Friendship
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

