The Perseid meteor shower peaked on Aug 12–13, overcoming the glare of a waning gibbous moon to put on a spectacular show of shooting stars that delighted onlookers worldwide.
The Perseids are active every July and August as Earth barrels through the trail of dusty debris shed by the wandering comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. Our planet plowed through the densest part of the comet's trail on Aug. 12-13, when countless cometary shards collided with Earth, burning up in spectacular fashion as they were overcome by the friction of atmospheric entry.
