☂ The Perseid meteor shower ☂

A meteor streaks past stars in the night sky over Stonehenge in Salisbury Plain, southern England August 12, 2010. The Perseid meteor shower is sparked every August when the Earth passes through a stream of space debris left by comet Swift-Tuttle. 

REUTERS/Kieran Doherty

A meteor streaks past stars in the night sky over El Torcal nature park reserve in the southern Spanish town of Antequera, near Malaga, early August 13, 2010. The Perseid meteor shower is sparked every August when the Earth passes through a stream of space debris left by the comet Swift-Tuttle. Picture taken using a long exposure. 

REUTERS/Jon Nazca

The night sky over a beach in Cancun, Mexico, is pictured August 12, 2010. Star-gazers will be hoping for clear skies overnight on Thursday when one of the year's most spectacular meteor showers reaches its climax. The Royal Astronomical Society said debris from the Swift-Tuttle comet will burn up in the Earth's atmosphere, creating between 60 and 100 shooting stars every hour. This picture was taken using long exposure. REUTERS/Gerardo Garcia