The annual Perseid meteor shower, one of the best displays of "shooting stars" this year, put on a spectacular show for skywatchers around the world.
As Earth passed through the remnants of Comet Swift-Tuttle, small pieces of the comet rained down on Earth, producing dozens of visible meters every hour. See photos of the 2021 Perseid meteor shower in this Space.com gallery!
In the photo above, a Perseid meteor is seen above desert poplar plants in Korla, China, on Aug. 12, 2021.
Full story: Perseid meteor shower of 2021 thrills skywatchers
Related: How to see the best meteor showers of 2021
A cyclist watches the Perseid meteor shower over Zerzevan Castle in Diyarbakir, Turkey, on Aug. 12, 2021. (One meteor is visible behind the bike's rear wheel.)
Meteors streak along the Milky Way galaxy in the night sky above Porma Lake in Leon, Spain, on Aug. 5, 2021.
The Milky Way galaxy sparkles behind a couple of meteors in this photo taken from Porma Lake in Leon, Spain, on Aug. 5, 2021.
A pink-and-green Perseid meteor streaks over a sandstone outcropping at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada, on Aug. 12, 2021. The color of a meteor burning up in the night sky is determined by its chemical composition; Perseid meteors contain elements like calcium, sodium, magnesium, silicon and iron.
Another Perseid meteor is pictured over the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada, on Aug. 12, 2021.
The 2021 Perseids viewed from roughly 30 miles (50 km) outside of Las Vegas.
The 2021 Perseids viewed from roughly 30 miles (50 km) outside of Las Vegas.
The 2021 Perseids viewed from roughly 30 miles (50 km) outside of Las Vegas.
The 2021 Perseids viewed from roughly 30 miles (50 km) outside of Las Vegas.
NASA photographer Bill Ingalls captured this 30-second exposure of a Perseid meteor streaking across the sky above Spruce Knob, West Virginia, on Aug. 11, 2021.
NASA photographer Bill Ingalls captured this 30-second exposure of a Perseid meteor streaking across the sky above Spruce Knob, West Virginia, on Aug. 11, 2021.
NASA photographer Bill Ingalls captured this 30-second exposure of a Perseid meteor streaking across the sky above Spruce Knob, West Virginia, on Aug. 11, 2021.
NASA photographer Bill Ingalls captured this 30-second exposure of a Perseid meteor streaking across the sky above Spruce Knob, West Virginia, on Aug. 11, 2021.
NASA's All-Sky Fireball Network captured several Perseid meteors on video using its network of 17 cameras placed across the United States. You can watch the video and read the full story here.
