Perseid meteor shower passes over Sacramento

The Perseid meteor shower happens when Earth passes through the trail of Comet Swift-Tuttle

A woman wearing a headlamp stares up into the night sky in a forest.

We’re on your tail, meteors.

Photo by @abecka18

Have you ever seen a shooting star? What about 100?

The Perseid meteor shower — aka the Perseids — made its way across the Sacramento skies this past weekend. The shower happens when Earth passes through the trail of Comet Swift-Tuttle, offering spectators across the globe the opportunity to see ~100 meteors per hour when the shower is at its peak.

The meteor shower hit its peak Saturday night and into Sunday morning, providing the opportunity to see the brightest and most numerous meteors. Because of the moon only being 10% illuminated, experts predicted this could be one of the best years for the astronomical occurrence — unlike last year, when the moonlight washed out some of the meteors.

Were you able to see the shower? Send us your photos. And don’t worry — even if you weren’t able to see the Perseids during its peak, you can still catch views of the shower until Friday, Sept. 1.

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