The northern lights, or aurora borealis, illuminate the sky as people gather to watch the annual Perseid meteor shower near the village of Borodinka in the Omsk region in Russia early Tuesday. (Alexey Malgavko/Reuters)
Late Monday and into early Tuesday morning, the Perseid meteor shower hit its peak across the northern hemisphere, delighting sky watchers with a dazzling light show that won’t be seen again until 2025.
The Perseid meteor shower, commonly known as the Perseids, is considered the brightest, most prolific meteor shower of the year. During the event, about 50 to 100 visible meteors streaked across the sky per hour, trailing long wakes of light and color behind them.
Because of this colorful and plentiful display, the Perseids are the highlight of many a meteor hunter’s calendar.
But for some lucky stargazers, the Perseids were accompanied by another incredible cosmic display: the aurora borealis, or the northern lights.
In a rare event, the Perseid meteor shower coincided with a geomagnetic storm, resulting in conditions that made the aurora borealis visible for some very fortunate sky watchers in places like Minnesota, New York and Nevada.
While the elevated geomagnetic activity was predicted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the northern lights making an appearance was unexpected, as space weather can be unpredictable, and auroras occur only under just the right conditions.
According to NASA, solar activity has been unusually busy in recent months due to the sun entering its solar maximum, a peak in the star’s 11-year solar cycle that will cause intensified sunspots and increased geomagnetic storms. The peak will begin in late 2024 and end in early 2026, when the sun will enter its solar minimum, the period of lowest solar activity.
If you weren’t lucky enough to glimpse the celestial light show, here are some photos of the rare event captured around the world.
The massive stone sculptures at the archaeological site of Mount Nemrut in southeastern Turkey during the Perseid meteor shower. (Kemal Aslan/AFP via Getty Images)
A view from an abandoned military air base shows the night sky during the annual Perseid meteor shower in the region of Kakheti, Georgia, on Monday. (Irakli Gedenidze/Reuters)
Sheep can be seen in the night sky under flickering northern lights (aurora borealis) on the dyke to the North Sea near Hagermarsch (Lower Saxony) in East Frisia on August 13, 2024. (Matthias Balk/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Perseid meteor showers were captured at Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park of California, United States on August 12, 2024. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Aurora borealis, or northern lights, shine in the sky while a shooting star burns up over a bale of straw in the sky in Brandenburg, Betzin, Germany on August 13, 2024. (Georg Moritz/picture alliance via Getty Images)
This long exposure picture shows a meteor (C) streaking as a satellite crosses the night sky over the Post-Camaldolese monastery in the village of Wigry, Suwalki region in Poland, during the annual Perseids meteor shower early on August 12, 2024. (Sergei Gapon/AFP via Getty Images)
The Aurora Borealis, also known as the “Northern Lights,” illuminate the sky as people gather to watch the annual Perseid meteor shower near the village of Borodinka in the Omsk region, Russia August 13, 2024. (Alexey Malgavko/Reuters)
Ancient statues are seen during the Perseid meteor shower atop Mount Nemrut in southeastern Turkey, Monday, Aug.12, 2024. (Emrah Gurel/AP)
Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) illuminate the sky above Joshua Tree National Park during the Perseids Meteor shower in Joshua Tree, California, early on August 12, 2024. (Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images)
The northern lights (Aurora Borealis) illuminates the sky as a geomagnetic storm is bringing vibrant green and pink colors, during the peak of the Perseid meteor shower in Aitkin, Minnesota on August 12, 2024. (Christopher Mark Juhn/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A meteor dashes above a destroyed tank from the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia, during the Perseid meteor shower on Bjelasnica mountain, Bosnia, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (Armin Durgut/AP)
Perseid meteor shower is observed at Mount Nemrut Ruins, UNESCO World Heritage Site at the 2,150-meter-altitude in Adiyaman, Turkiye on August 11, 2024. (Murat Sengul/Anadolu via Getty Images)
This long exposure picture shows the northern lights (aurora borealis) illuminating the sky above the field in the village of Wigry, Suwalki region in Poland, during the annual Perseids meteor shower early on August 12, 2024. (Sergei Gapon/AFP via Getty Images)
Perseid meteor showers were captured at Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park of California, United States on August 12, 2024. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Perseid meteor shower is observed as Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis), colorful lights shift, illuminate the sky of New York, United States on August 12, 2024. (Fatih Aktas/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A meteor streaks across the sky during the Perseids meteor shower peak at Pedernales Falls State Park on August 12, 2024 in Johnson City, Texas. (Rick Kern/Getty Images)
Jillian Hawkins is a writer, editor, and content professional who has written for the likes of The Pike Street Press! She loves writing about lifestyle, books, sports, education, and tech. She is also an avid runner.
