The Perseids over Sinemorets, Bulgaria. The meteor shower is visible until Aug 24.

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Look to the north sky tonight for the Perseids

We can’t all gather on the southern Black Sea coast of Bulgaria to watch the Perseids meteor shower tonight, but perhaps this amazing photo from that location will inspire you to head outside for a look at your own skies. Every August, Earth passes through the trail of debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle. When Swift-Tuttle’s ‘dirty snowballs’ of dust, ice, rock, and other material hit Earth’s atmosphere, they burn up as the ‘shooting stars’ of the Perseids. If you can, get away from city lights any time between now and Aug 24, find a safe spot outside, and let your eyes adjust to the dark for about 30 minutes. Look to the northern portion of the sky, or find the Perseus constellation, and you’ll start seeing streaks of light tumbling through the sky.