Pictures show stunning Perseid meteor shower as lack of moonlight offers ‘best viewing in years’

Saturday night offered one of the best opportunities in years to witness the spectacular Perseid meteor shower – with sightings being recorded across the world as low moonlight offered an exceptional viewing for many.

The sky was lit up with flashes from up to 100 shooting stars, with the best viewings coming in the early hours of Sunday morning UK time.

Cloud cover ruined the moment for some parts of Britain, affecting viewings for stargazers in the north and west of the country including Scotland and Northern Ireland.

But for much of England, particularly central, southern and eastern parts, breaks in cloud offered good opportunities to see the celestial lightshow.

Other pictures were posted online by amateurs or snapped by photographers around the world, with good viewings reported in Spain, Israel and across central to eastern Europe.

The Perseid meteor shower is one of the highlights of the year for many skygazers due to its high hourly rate and bright meteors, caused by the Earth slamming into the debris left behind by comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle in July and August every year.

It is called the Perseids because the meteors seem to originate from the constellation of Perseus.

Here are some more pictures of the Perseid meteor shower from across the world:

For those who missed the opportunity to see Saturday night’s peak light show, there may be other chances in the nights to come, with the shower set to continue until 24 August.