Rare Perseid meteor shower and northern lights display excites stargazers worldwide (photos, videos) (Image Credit: Space.com)
In a breathtaking display of nature’s beauty, skywatchers worldwide witnessed a rare natural event: the Perseid meteor shower coinciding with the northern lights.
The Perseid meteor shower peak was anticipated, as it occurs annually when Earth passes through debris — small bits of ice and rock — left by Comet Swift-Tuttle, which last approached Earth in 1992. However, the appearance of simultaneous auroras was unexpected.
While forecasters had predicted some geomagnetic activity over the weekend, prompting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center to issue a geomagnetic storm watch for Aug. 9 through Aug. 11, space weather can be unpredictable, and auroras only occur under just the right conditions.
If you missed the Perseid’s peak, don’t worry — the Perseid meteor shower continues until around Aug. 24. While the number of visible meteors per hour will be lower than at its peak, there are still opportunities to catch a glimpse.
However, everything fell into place over the weekend. While some lucky stargazers managed to see fleeting glimpses of Perseid meteors, others witnessed the dancing northern lights and some were even lucky enough to witness the two at once! This unique overlap allowed photographers to capture truly remarkable images.
Here, we take a look at some of the best.
Mike Wickersham caught a colorful Perseid meteor giving the colorful aurora a run for its money in the skies above Lincoln City, Oregon, U.S.
“Perseids and aurora on display tonight, Lincoln City, OR!” Wickersham wrote in a post on X.
In the U.K., Andrew Hawkes was treated to a beautiful display of the Perseid meteor shower and a spontaneous eruption of northern lights on the outskirts of Harrogate, North Yorkshire.
“I was out photographing the Perseids meteor shower with a friend when I saw some light illuminating behind the tree. I thought this was artificial lighting at first, and then when I looked back on the camera, I could see the aurora,” Hawkes told Space.com in an email.
Hawkes certainly found himself in the right place at exactly the right time.
“I moved the camera to frame the aurora better and I said to my friend, ‘All we need now is a meteor,’ and, on cue, the one in the photo flashed across the frame.”
Hawkes also captured an impressive timelapse of the aurora and Perseids. That’s the video playing at the beginning of this article.
For those without views of the northern lights, the Perseids still put on a breathtaking display.
Photographer Josh Dury captured an absolutely breathtaking view of the Perseid meteor shower above Stonehenge, U.K.
The image below is composed of 43 sub-images of the meteors taken over three and a half hours.
“Celestial fireworks baring the connection through time. The ancient debris of Comet Swift-Tuttle; formed at the early dawn of our Solar System. Observed from the ancient palace — chartering the movements of heavenly bodies. A pertinent narrative through senseless time and mystery.” Dury told Space.com in an email.
Dury’s image is also displayed as NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day!
Photographer Riste Spiroski, from Macedonia, captured a stunning photograph of a single Perseid meteor streaking through the sky above Lake Ohrid, one of Europe’s deepest and oldest lakes. The glow of wildfires is visible in the distant mountains.
“We spent about two hours planning this shot and were lucky to catch it while enjoying the Perseid meteor shower, seeing over 10 bright meteors in less than an hour,” Spiroski told Space.com in an email.
Below, a Perseid meteor streaks through the sky above the archaeological site of Mount Nemrut in Adyaman, southeastern Turkey on Aug. 11, 2024, in this image captured by photographer Kemal Aslan.
Below is another image of the Perseid meteor shower over Mount Nemrut, Turkey, this time captured by photographer Murat Sengul.
The Mount Nemrut ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lying about 7,053 feet (2,150 meters) above sea level.
Meanwhile, in Poland, a long streaking Perseid meteor shines brightly above the Post-Camaldolese monastery in the village of Wigry, Suwalki region.
This image from Sergei Gapon was captured early on Aug. 12, 2024.
And for some who didn’t catch a glimpse of any Perseids, a dazzlingly vibrant northern lights display more than made up for it. Darlene Tanner witnessed what is known as an auroral corona, where the aurora rays create a crown-like shape overhead.
“It felt surreal being under these looking straight up,” Tanner told Space.com in an email.
These scenes played out in the skies near Bashaw, Alberta, Canada.
