Get ready for one of the most dazzling celestial displays of the year—the Perseid meteor shower. Active from mid-July through late August, this year it reaches its spectacular peak on the night of August 12 and into the early hours of August 13. The Perseids light up the skies when Earth passes through a trail of icy and rocky debris left behind by Comet Swift–Tuttle, which last passed close to our planet in 1992. These meteors are called the Perseids because they appear to streak from the direction of the constellation Perseus.

For those hoping to catch a glimpse of this breathtaking show, the Perseid meteor shower is best viewed from the Northern Hemisphere, extending down to the mid-southern latitudes. One such vantage point is Great Basin National Park in Nevada, seen in today's image, where ancient bristlecone pines stand beneath a sky ablaze with shooting stars. These remarkable trees are the oldest non-clonal species on Earth. Shaped by relentless wind, snow, and rain, they've endured for millennia—witnessing ice ages, volcanic eruptions, and the rise and fall of civilizations.