Skip to main content
Space Space
Subscribe
RSS
All About Space Magazine
All About Space Magazine
Why subscribe?
  • Exclusive Father's Day Offer: Treat your dad this Father's Day to a subscription of All About Space from just £25
From$3.99
View
  • News
  • Astronomy
  • Spaceflight
  • The Moon
  • Our Solar System
  • Skywatching
  • More
    • Videos
    • Search for LIfe
    • Technology
    • Entertainment
    • Reference
    • SpaceX
    • Expert Voices
    • Forums
    • All Topics
    • Subscribe to "All About Space" Magazine!
    • Space.com Store
    • About Us
    • Web Notifications
Trending
  • New supernova viewing tips
  • Next Full Moon
  • Best Telescopes
  • Best Star Projectors
  • Space Calendar
  • Best Binoculars
  • Lego Star Wars deals
  • Best Drones
  • Solar System Planets
  • Night Sky Tonight
  • Russia-Ukraine war space impacts

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  1. Home
  2. News
  3. Skywatching

Amazing photos of the 2021 Perseid meteor shower

By Hanneke Weitering
last updated 12 August 2021

(Image credit: Costfoto/Barcroft Media via Getty Images)

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

Page 1 of 15
Page 1 of 15
(Image credit: Bestami Bodruk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

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.)

Page 2 of 15
Page 2 of 15
(Image credit: Samuel de Roman/Getty)

Meteors streak along the Milky Way galaxy in the night sky above Porma Lake in Leon, Spain, on Aug. 5, 2021.

Page 3 of 15
Page 3 of 15
(Image credit: Samuel de Roman/Getty)

The Milky Way galaxy sparkles behind a couple of meteors in this photo taken from Porma Lake in Leon, Spain, on Aug. 5, 2021.

Page 4 of 15
Page 4 of 15
(Image credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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.

Page 5 of 15
Page 5 of 15
(Image credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Another Perseid meteor is pictured over the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada, on Aug. 12, 2021. 

Page 6 of 15
Page 6 of 15
(Image credit: Courtesy of Tyler Leavitt)

The 2021 Perseids viewed from roughly 30 miles (50 km) outside of Las Vegas.

Page 7 of 15
Page 7 of 15
(Image credit: Courtesy of Tyler Leavitt)

The 2021 Perseids viewed from roughly 30 miles (50 km) outside of Las Vegas.

Page 8 of 15
Page 8 of 15
(Image credit: Courtesy of Tyler Leavitt)

The 2021 Perseids viewed from roughly 30 miles (50 km) outside of Las Vegas.

Page 9 of 15
Page 9 of 15
(Image credit: Courtesy of Tyler Leavitt)

The 2021 Perseids viewed from roughly 30 miles (50 km) outside of Las Vegas.

Page 10 of 15
Page 10 of 15
(Image credit: Bill Ingalls/NASA)

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. 

Page 11 of 15
Page 11 of 15
(Image credit: Bill Ingalls/NASA)

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. 

Page 12 of 15
Page 12 of 15
(Image credit: Bill Ingalls/NASA)

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. 

Page 13 of 15
Page 13 of 15
(Image credit: Bill Ingalls/NASA)

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. 

Page 14 of 15
Page 14 of 15
(Image credit: NASA)

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. 

Page 15 of 15
Page 15 of 15
Hanneke Weitering
Hanneke Weitering
Social Links Navigation
Editor

Hanneke Weitering is an editor at Space.com with 10 years of experience in science journalism. She has previously written for Scholastic Classroom Magazines, MedPage Today and The Joint Institute for Computational Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. After studying physics at the University of Tennessee in her hometown of Knoxville, she earned her graduate degree in Science, Health and Environmental Reporting (SHERP) from New York University. Hanneke joined the Space.com team in 2016 as a staff writer and producer, covering topics including spaceflight and astronomy. She currently lives in Seattle, home of the Space Needle, with her cat and two snakes. In her spare time, Hanneke enjoys exploring the Rocky Mountains, basking in nature and looking for dark skies to gaze at the cosmos. 

More about skywatching
An illustration of the night sky on June 1 and 2 showing Mars near M44, the Beehive Cluster.

See Mars buzz the dense stars of the Beehive Cluster tonight

The milky way stretches across the starry sky above a meandering river below.

Dark Sky Utah: A complete guide to astro-travel in America's darkest state

Latest
The Zendure SuperBase Pro 1500w on a wooden floor displaying the charge percentage and other details on an LCD screen

Zendure Superbase Pro Power Station Review

See more latest ►
Most Popular
Boeing delays 1st Starliner astronaut launch for NASA indefinitely over parachute, wiring safety issues

By Tariq MalikJune 02, 2023

NASA's Kepler telescope discovered 2 mini-Neptune exoplanets just before dying

By Sharmila KuthunurJune 01, 2023

James Webb Space Telescope finds water in super-hot exoplanet's atmosphere

By Tereza PultarovaJune 01, 2023

Mars helicopter Ingenuity went silent for 6 'agonizing' days in April

By Mike WallJune 01, 2023

The Expanse: A Telltale Series preview — Trust your gut before your head gets in the way

By Kimberley SnaithJune 01, 2023

Odd supergiant star Betelgeuse is brightening up. Is it about to go supernova?

By Tereza PultarovaJune 01, 2023

Zany new trailer for Fox's 'Stars on Mars' reality show counts us down to launch (video)

By Jeff SpryJune 01, 2023

Hubble captures starry tentacles of faraway 'jellyfish galaxy' in stunning detail (photo)

By Sharmila KuthunurJune 01, 2023

Saturn's moon Enceladus is blasting a plume of water 6,000 miles high. Could life be lurking under its icy shell?

By Tereza PultarovaJune 01, 2023

New technique could probe the heart of powerful solar storms

By Robert LeaMay 31, 2023

SpaceX's Dragon reentry and splashdown with Ax-2 astronauts looks amazing in these nighttime photos and videos

By Mike WallMay 31, 2023

  1. The Zendure SuperBase Pro 1500w on a wooden floor displaying the charge percentage and other details on an LCD screen
    1
    Zendure Superbase Pro Power Station Review
  2. 2
    Mickey Mouse celebrates the Space Age as astronaut on Disney100 Citizen watch
  3. 3
    NASA's James Webb Space Telescope mission — Live updates
  4. 4
    See Mars buzz the dense stars of the Beehive Cluster tonight
  5. 5
    Meta reveals the new Quest 3 VR headset with a $499.99 price tag

Space is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Topics
  • Advertise with us
  • Web notifications
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.