Stunning photos capture annual Perseid meteor shower blazing across the globe




Space enthusiasts who have spent the past few days admiring the stunning images of Martian landscapes beamed from NASA's Curiosity would have been well-advised to peel their eyes from their computer screens and look up into the night sky to catch a glimpse of one of the most spectacular celestial light shows.

Stargazers in the U.S. and other parts of the northern hemisphere who stayed up late this weekend were treated to the dazzling Perseid meteor shower.

The annual display peaked early Sunday morning, providing a dazzling spectacle from California to Holland, from Hungary to the Canary Islands off the African coast, MSNBC reported.

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A meteor streaks past stars in the night sky over the village of Kuklici, in Macedonia





Sky show: A meteor from the annual Perseid meteor shower seen falling from space over ruins at Fort Churchill State Historic Park in Silver Springs, Nevada

In Nevada, photographer Kevin Clifford captured a meteor plummeting from space over the ruins at Fort Churchill State Historic Park in Silver Springs.

The Perseid meteor shower has been observed by humans for at least 2,000 years. Some Catholics refer to the Perseids as the ‘tears of St. Lawrence,’ since August 10 is the date of that saint's martyrdom.

Magical show: A meteor streaks past stars in the night sky above medieval tombstones in Radmilje near Stolac, 112 miles south from Sarajevo

International event: Stargazers were treated to the awe-inspiring Perseid meteor shower throughout the northern hemisphere, from Germany's Eifel region, left, to the area of Lake Geneva in Switzerland, right

The display takes place each year in late July and early August when the Earth passes through a trail of debris left in the wake of the comet Swift-Tuttle.

Remnants of dust and ice from the comet slam into Earth's atmosphere at more than 130,000 miles per hour and burn up, creating the fiery ‘shooting stars’ seen from the ground.



The meteor shower is called Perseids because the point from which they appear to radiate lies in the constellation Perseus, named after one of the greatest heroes of the Greek mythology.



Breathtaking: A meteor streaks over El Torcal nature park reserve in the southern Spanish town of Antequera, near Malaga

A meteor streaks past stars in the night sky over the village of Kuklici, known for its hundreds of naturally formed stones which resembles human beings, near Kratovo, 80 km (49 miles) east from the Macedonian capital Skopje





Astronomer Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office anticipated seeing up to 100 meteors an hour at the height of the shower.

This year's display was also extra-special because the planets Jupiter and Venus, as well as the crescent moon lined up just as the Perseid meteor shower reached a fever pitch.

Those who were unfortunate enough to miss the stunning display need not despair since there are more impressive meteor showers coming their way this year.

People watch the Perseid meteor shower at the 'Atalayita village', an archeological site on the Canary Island of Fuerteventura, Spain, late 12 August 2012.

The Perseid Meteor Shower as seen from the new fifth station of Mt. Fuji in the city of Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture.









Heavenly sight: The meteor shower is called Perseids because the point from which they appear to radiate lies in the constellation Perseus

Star-studded display: The shower takes place each year in late July and early August when the Earth passes through a trail of debris left in the wake of the comet Swift-Tuttle

On October 21, the annual Orionid meteor shower will reach its peak, lighting up the skies with glowing debris from the famed Halley's Comet.

In November, the annual Leonid meteor shower will make a comeback. It peaks on November 17. In mid-December, the Geminid meteor shower will cap off the year's natural light shows.

