37 incredible images of the Perseid meteor shower

The Annual Perseid Shower brings with it some magnificent night sky photography

Friday 21 August 2015 09:34 BST

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Thousands of people across the world have been captivated by the inspiring Perseid shower display.

Peaking over Wednesday and Thursday night, the shower coincided with a new moon, creating the best conditions to see the annual event since 2007. More than 100 per hour were produced – and photographed – over the UK.

British residents also had an extra treat as the International Space Station (ISS) passed over the UK at around 10.30pm on Wednesday when the shower was at its brightest.

St. Ilia Roman early Christian basilica near Pordop, Bulgaria

The North Sea coast in Pilsum, northwestern Germany.

Robin Scagell, vice-president of the Society for Popular Astronomy, said the display was “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," he added.

meteor visible above destroyed house near Tuzla, Bosnia,

Leeberg hill near Grossmugl, Kronenberg, Austria

European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope at Paranal, Chile

Maculje archaeological site near Novi Travnik, Bosnia

The Perseids are broken off parts of the Comet Swift-Tuttle, active every year from approximately 17 July to 24 August, although for most of that period only a few comets are visible.