This weekend the night sky will be filled with glowing streaks as the annual Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak, with the best views in the northern hemisphere. The Perseid shower takes its name from the point in the sky from which the meteors appear to hail: the constellation of Perseus. The meteor shower is beautiful spectacle born of debris. Photograph: Jamie Cooper/REX ShutterstockThe Perseid shower is also famed for its fireballs: meteors that appear as bright as planets such as Venus or Jupiter, some of which explode. “I was fascinated by meteor showers already as a child,” she said.

Source: The Guardian August 12, 2017 06:00 UTC