Techuk newsmeteorPerseids

Perseids Meteor Shower 2015 Pictures Show Hundreds Of Spectacular Shooting Stars Lighting Up The Skies

Hundreds Of Spectacular Shooting Stars Lit Up The Skies Last Night - Here Are The Best Pics
Kathryn Snowdon
|

A spectacular meteor shower lit up the skies on Wednesday night creating an "absolutely amazing" display.

Hundreds of shooting stars filled the skies as the annual Perseids meteor shower peaked.

Stargazers in the north of the country had the best view of the meteors as cloud cover meant visibility was limited across southern England and Scotland.

This year's Perseids coincided with a new moon, creating ideal dark conditions, and were also briefly joined overhead by the International Space Station (ISS).

The meteor shower occurs annually between July 17 and August 24.

Article continues below pictures:

Perseids Meteor Shower 2015
North Yorkshire, England(01 of20)
Open Image Modal
A meteor passes across the sky during the peak in activity of the annual Perseids meteor shower in the village of Rievaulx, near Helmsley, northern England on August 13, 2015. The Perseids meteor shower occurs every year when the Earth passes through the cloud of debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle. AFP PHOTO / OLI SCARFF (Photo credit should read OLI SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:OLI SCARFF via Getty Images)
(02 of20)
Open Image Modal
(credit:OLI SCARFF via Getty Images)
(03 of20)
Open Image Modal
A meteor passes across the sky above Rievaulx Abbey, North Yorkshire. (credit:OLI SCARFF via Getty Images)
(04 of20)
Open Image Modal
(credit:OLI SCARFF via Getty Images)
Rufforth, North Yorkshire, England(05 of20)
Open Image Modal
Members of the York Astronomical Society prepare to view the annual Perseids meteor shower in the village of on August 12, 2015. (credit:OLI SCARFF via Getty Images)
(06 of20)
Open Image Modal
(credit:OLI SCARFF via Getty Images)
(07 of20)
Open Image Modal
(credit:OLI SCARFF via Getty Images)
Rufforth, North Yorkshire, England(08 of20)
Open Image Modal
A meteor passes across the sky during the peak in activity of the annual Perseids meteor shower in the village of Rufforth, near York, northern England on August 12, 2015. (credit:OLI SCARFF via Getty Images)
Whitley Bay, England(09 of20)
Open Image Modal
A meteor seen during a Perseids meteor shower over St Mary's Lighthouse near Whitley Bay. (credit:Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
Pirdop, Bulgaria(10 of20)
Open Image Modal
A long exposure image showing an aeroplane passing in the sky during the Perseids meteor shower over the remains of St. Ilia Roman early Christian basilica near the town of Pirdop, early on August 12, 2015. (credit:NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV via Getty Images)
(11 of20)
Open Image Modal
(credit:NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV via Getty Images)
(12 of20)
Open Image Modal
(credit:NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV via Getty Images)
Burgos, Spain(13 of20)
Open Image Modal
A Perseid meteor along the Milky Way illuminates the dark sky near Villadiego in the province of Burgos, northern Spain, during the 'Perseids' meteor shower on August 12, 2015. (credit:CESAR MANSO via Getty Images)
(14 of20)
Open Image Modal
(credit:CESAR MANSO via Getty Images)
(15 of20)
Open Image Modal
(credit:CESAR MANSO via Getty Images)
Obanos, Spain(16 of20)
Open Image Modal
Stars seen as streaks from a long camera exposure are seen behind Arnotegui Hermitage, in Obanos, northern Spain, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2015. (credit:Alvaro Barrientos/AP)
Ujue, Spain(17 of20)
Open Image Modal
Stars seen as streaks from a long camera exposure are seen behind a Stations of The Cross, in Ujue, northern Spain, Wednesday, Aug.12, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Iowa, USA(18 of20)
Open Image Modal
The Milky Way stretches in the sky behind a grain elevator during the annual Perseid meteor shower Thursday, Aug. 13, 2015, in Baxter, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Nevada, USA(19 of20)
Open Image Modal
A Perseid meteor streaks across the sky over the community of Cold Creek on August 12, 2015 in the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, Nevada. (credit:Ethan Miller via Getty Images)
Tuzla, Bosnia(20 of20)
Open Image Modal
Stars and meteor streaks are seen behind a destroyed house, near Tuzla, Bosnia, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2015. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The meteors reached their peak on Wednesday and Thursday night when more than 100 meteors an hour were produced.

People shared their delight at the display, which could be seen across the world, including parts of America, Spain, Bulgaria and Bosnia.

Members of Birmingham Astronomical Society were among those who had readied themselves to take advantage of the region's clear skies.

The International Space Station, which orbits earth every 90 minutes, was expected to be visible for four minutes from 10.28pm on Wednesday.

Robin Scagell, vice president of the Society for Popular Astronomy, said: "The thing about shooting stars is they're a wonderful free spectacle we can all enjoy, assuming clear skies.

"The Perseids are usually fairly bright. Also, they tend to leave a trail, or train, behind them. You can see the train hanging there glowing in the sky for a few seconds - sometimes for several minutes - after the meteor has gone."

Meteors are the result of particles as small as a grain of sand entering the Earth's atmosphere at high speed and burning up.

They can appear anywhere but seem to emerge from a single point, or "radiant". The Perseid's radiant is in the north-east constellation of Perseus.

SEE ALSO:

Suggest a correction
|
Submit a tip