Perseid meteor shower of 2022 thrills stargazers despite bright moon (photos)

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"The ionization trail was awesome," one stargazer said.

Perseid meteors streak over a striking landscape in China with a person holding a flashlight
The Perseid meteor shower illuminates the night sky over the Eboliang Yardang landform on Aug. 12, 2022 in Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province of China. (Image credit: Wu Zhengjie/VCG via Getty Images)

The Perseid meteor shower of the 2022 reached its peak this weekend and while the bright full moon may have washed out the best of the "shooting stars" display this year, that doesn't mean skywatchers were left completely in the dark.

Stargazers around the world captured some dazzling views of the Perseid meteor shower as it peaked overnight Friday and Saturday (Aug. 12-13) and they shared the photos to prove it. Some observers took to Twitter to share their meteor views while other astrophotographers snapped truly stunning photos for Getty Images. 

"Perseid fireball I saw last night from Oxfordshire,"  skywatcher Mary McIntyre of Oxfordhire in the United Kingdom wrote on Twitter, adding that she captured the Perseid photos with a meteor camera. "The ionization trail was awesome."

Related: Perseid meteor shower generates early "shooting stars" (video)

Best cameras for astrophotography

The Nikon D850 DSLR

(Image credit: Nikon)

If you're looking for a good camera for meteor showers and astrophotography, our top pick is the Nikon D850. Check out our best cameras for astrophotography for more and prepare for the Perseids with our guide on how to photograph a meteor shower.

The Perseid meteor shower is typically one of the best meteor displays of the year, but its peak in 2022 came just one day after the Sturgeon supermoon (August's full moon) on Aug. 11. Since dark skies are vital for meteor watching, even bright moonlight can dim a stargazer's prospects. 

Photographer Wu Zhengjie for the photo service VCG and Getty Images still managed to capture stunning views of the Perseids from the Eboliang Yardang landform in Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province of China. The images show brilliant Perseid meteors over a striking landscape. 

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The Perseid meteor shower illuminate the night sky over the Eboliang Yardang landform on August 12, 2022 in Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province of China.
Another view of the Perseid meteor shower over the Eboliang Yardang landform on Aug. 12, 2022 in Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province of China. (Image credit: Wu Zhengjie/VCG via Getty Images)

Another photographer, Veysel Altun of the Anadalou Agency and Getty Images, managed to capture a Perseid meteor streak over a campsite in Samsun, Turkey. 

A Perseid meteor streaks across the night sky over Atakum district of Samsun, Turkey on Aug. 13, 2022.  (Image credit: Veysel Altun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Photographer Ercin Ertuk, also of the Anadalou Agency and Getty Images, snapped a photo of a Perseid as it streaked across the sky over trees in Ankara, Turkey.

A view of the Perseid meteor shower over Ankara, Turkey on August 13, 2022. (Image credit: Ercin Erturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Still more stargazers managed to catch views of the Perseids with either their own cameras or meteor cameras that constantly watch the sky to record fireballs. Here's a look at some of our favorites spotted on Twitter.

Related stories:

— The greatest meteor storms of all time 

— Meteor brightens up the sky above Sydney as peak meteor showers arrive

 — 6 meteor showers will likely offer better views than the Perseids this summer 

The Perseid meteor shower occurs each year in mid-August when the Earth passes through the dusty trail of the Comet Swift-Tuttle. When those comet bits slam into Earth's atmosphere, they can spawn bright trails as the streak across the sky. They appear to radiate out from the constellation Perseus, hence their name. 

The next major meteor shower of 2022 will be the Orionid meteor shower in October. That shower will peak on Oct. 20 and 21, but its activity period runs from Sept. 26 to Nov. 22. It is caused by the remnants of Halley's Comet as the Earth passes through that trail. 

Check out our guide for the best meteor showers of the year to prepare for your next stargazing experience.

Editor's note: If you snap an amazing photo of a Perseid meteor or any other night-sky sight and you'd like to share it with Space.com for a story or image gallery, send images, comments and location information to spacephotos@space.com.

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Instagram.

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Tariq Malik
Tariq Malik
Editor-in-Chief

Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Beach. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. You can find Tariq at Space.com and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network. To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik.