The annual Perseid meteor shower lit up skies above Greece on Sunday night, giving stargazers a rare opportunity to see up to 80 shooting stars scorched through the sky every hour with the naked eye.
The Perseids meteor shower returns to the skies every August, and can best be seen in the northern hemisphere in isolated areas where there is little light pollution.
*Image source: George Karampotakis/Lifo.gr
According to Reuters, they arise when the Earth passes through the debris of Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which was discovered in 1862.
*Image source: George Karampotakis/Lifo.gr
Meteors are parts of rock and dust that hit the Earth’s atmosphere, heat up and glow. Most vaporize as they descend, but some explode.
To view more photographs from astrophotographer George Karampotakis, click here.