Gazette snapper hits paydust with Perseid meteors.

One of the Gazette’s photographers, Sarah Peters, was working late last night and as she returned home towards Crawfordjohn she was met with the most amazing heavenly display that was the Perseids Meteor Shower.

By John A. MacInnes

Published 13th Aug 2015, 13:35 GMT

The meteor is the streak towards the centre of the image while the fainter streak on the right is a satellite.

What’s the source of the Perseid meteor shower?

Every year, from around July 17 to August 24, our planet Earth crosses the orbital path of Comet Swift-Tuttle, the parent of the Perseid meteor shower.

Debris from this comet litters it’s orbit, but we don’t really get into the thick of the ‘rubble’ until after the first week of August.

The bits and pieces from Comet Swift-Tuttle slam into the Earth’s upper atmosphere at some 210,000 kilometers (130,000 miles) per hour, lighting up the night with fast-moving Perseid meteors.

Earth