The northern lights, or aurora borealis, illuminate the sky as people gather to watch the annual Perseid meteor shower near the village of Borodinka in the Omsk region in Russia early Tuesday. (Alexey Malgavko/Reuters)
Late Monday and into early Tuesday morning, the Perseid meteor shower hit its peak across the northern hemisphere, delighting sky watchers with a dazzling light show that won't be seen again until 2025.
The Perseid meteor shower, commonly known as the Perseids, is considered the brightest, most prolific meteor shower of the year. During the event, about 50 to 100 visible meteors streaked across the sky per hour, trailing long wakes of light and color behind them.
Because of this colorful and plentiful display, the Perseids are the highlight of many a meteor hunter’s calendar.
In a rare event, the Perseid meteor shower coincided with a geomagnetic storm, resulting in conditions that made the aurora borealis visible for some very fortunate sky watchers in places like Minnesota, New York and Nevada.
While the elevated geomagnetic activity was predicted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the northern lights making an appearance was unexpected, as space weather can be unpredictable, and auroras occur only under just the right conditions.
According to NASA, solar activity has been unusually busy in recent months due to the sun entering its solar maximum, a peak in the star's 11-year solar cycle that will cause intensified sunspots and increased geomagnetic storms. The peak will begin in late 2024 and end in early 2026, when the sun will enter its solar minimum, the period of lowest solar activity.
If you weren't lucky enough to glimpse the celestial light show, here are some photos of the rare event captured around the world.
The massive stone sculptures at the archaeological site of Mount Nemrut in southeastern Turkey during the Perseid meteor shower. (Kemal Aslan/AFP via Getty Images)
A view from an abandoned military air base shows the night sky during the annual Perseid meteor shower in the region of Kakheti, Georgia, on Monday. (Irakli Gedenidze/Reuters)
Sheep can be seen against the night sky under flickering northern lights near Hagermarsch, in the East Frisia region of Germany early Tuesday. (Matthias Balk/picture alliance via Getty Images)
A meteor streaking across the starry sky near Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park in California late Monday night. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A dazzling display of the northern lights over a field of hay in Brandenburg, Germany, early Tuesday. (Georg Moritz/picture alliance via Getty Images)
A meteor, center, can be seen as a satellite crosses the night sky over the post-Camaldolese monastery in the Suwalki region in Poland late Monday. (Sergei Gapon/AFP via Getty Images)
People gather to watch the spectacular display of the annual Perseid meteor shower and the northern lights near the village of Borodinka in the Omsk region of Russia early Tuesday. (Alexey Malgavko/Reuters)
Ancient statues atop Mount Nemrut in southeastern Turkey are seen during the Perseid meteor shower late Monday. (Emrah Gurel/AP)
The northern lights illuminate the sky above Joshua Tree National Park in California during the Perseid meteor shower. (Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images)
A geomagnetic storm produces vibrant green and pink colors during the peak of the Perseid meteor shower in Aitkin, Minn., on Monday night. (Christopher Mark Juhn/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A meteor streaks across the sky above a destroyed tank left on Bjelasnica mountain following the war in Bosnia. (Armin Durgut/AP)
A spectacular display during the Perseid meteor shower is observed at Mount Nemrut, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Turkey. (Murat Sengul/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The northern lights illuminate the sky above a field in the Suwalki region of Poland. (Sergei Gapon/AFP via Getty Images)
The Perseid meteor shower as seen at Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park in California. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A rare colorful display as the northern lights illuminate the sky over New York. (Fatih Aktas/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A meteor streaks across the sky during the Perseids meteor shower peak at Pedernales Falls State Park in Johnson City, Texas. (Rick Kern/Getty Images)
Vietnamese authorities say Typhoon Yagi has killed at least four people and injured 78 others after making landfall Saturday afternoon in the north of the country. Yagi, described by Vietnamese meteorological officials as “one of the most powerful typhoons in the region over the past decade,” made its way to the Southeast Asian country after it left three people dead and nearly a hundred others injured in the Chinese province of Hainan. The typhoon landed at Vietnam's coastal provinces of Quang Ninh and Haiphong with wind speeds of up to 149 kilometers per hour (92 miles per hour), state media reported.
More than 30,000 protesters gathered in South Korea's capital in broiling heat on Saturday, demanding more aggressive action by the government to combat global warming. They waved large banners reading "Climate justice," "Protect our lives!" and "NO to climate villain (President) Yoon Suk Yeol's administration". Organised by the 907 Climate Justice March Group Committee, the protest followed a ruling last month by South Korea's top court that the nation's climate change law fails to protect basic human rights and lacks targets to shield future generations.
Capercaillie are heading for a “second extinction” in Scotland’s forests, land managers have warned after recording a sharp drop in the number of males.
There are traditionally five stages of grief, mourning and moving on after the demise of a loved one or a loved-up relationship. When it comes to Hollywood, however, there’s at least six—you can’t forget sideboob. Case in point: At the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday night, Jennifer Lopez had clearly taken inspiration from the phrase, “you don’t know what you’re missing.” (Or, rather, you do now and it’s a sexy disco ball.)Lopez was in attendance for the premiere of her new film “U
Exclusive interview: Former prime minister lambasts Boris Johnson for promising to ‘take back control’ of migration but instead ‘replacing young Europeans with older immigrants from Africa and Asia’ – as he urges Keir Starmer to repair ties with the EU
For months, millions of people were glued to their TV screens as a slight, bespectacled young woman was grilled by lawmakers in the Philippines for hours at a time about her origin story
