Explanation:┬аThis was a good year for the┬аPerseids meteor shower. A key reason was┬аthe Moon┬аwas absent from lighting up┬аEarth’s night sky┬аso that┬аmore meteors┬аwere visible than usual. Where was the Moon? It was busy┬аvisiting the Sun. Near the Perseids peak, the Moon moved directly in front of the Sun and created a total┬аsolar eclipse┬аvisible from┬аGreenland┬аand┬аSpain. The┬аPerseids┬аoccur when the Earth collides with a┬аstream of Sun-orbiting debris┬аcast off by┬аComet Swift-Tuttle. Perseid meteors, although typically only the size of a┬аsand┬аgrain, tend to be fast and bright because Swift-Tuttle’s debris orbits┬аthe Sun┬аin a┬аdirection partly opposite┬аEarth’s orbital motion. In the┬аfeatured image┬аcompilation accumulated over several nights from┬аJizerka┬аin the┬аCzech Republic, the Perseids meteor streaks can be traced back to a single location on the sky — its┬аradiant┬аin┬аPerseus.
Gallery:┬аPerseids Meteor Shower of 2026
Tomorrow’s picture:┬аopen space
