18 stunning images of the Perseid meteor shower from around the world

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Meteor over Mallorca, Spain. Andrés Nieto Porras/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The Perseid meteor shower put on an incredible celestial show this week as tons of fiery meteors crash into Earth's atmosphere and lit up the night sky.

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The meteor shower happens every year starting in late July and lasting through most of August, but there is always a peak viewing time where stargazers can spot about 100 meteors an hour, and sometimes even "moon flashes" that happen when meteors crash into the moon.

This year the Perseid meteor shower peaked early in the morning on Thursday, Aug. 13, and it coincided with a new moon. With no moonlight to compete with, the meteor shower was even more brilliant than usual this year. So brilliant, in fact, that you could even spot a few meteors in New York City.

Still, a meteor shower looks more impressive far away from city lights. We've rounded up some of the best images of the Perseid meteor shower peak from around the world.

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A Roman theater in the ruins of Acinipo, near Ronda in southern Spain.

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REUTERS/Jon Nazca

Windmills at the San Gregornio Pass Wind Farm near Whitewater, California.

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REUTERS/Sam Mircovich
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The Maculje archaeological site near Novi Travnik in the early morning of Aug. 13.

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REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

Leeberg hill near Grossmugl in Austria.

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REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader
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Huntsville, Alabama.

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Huntsville, Alabama NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, Nevada.

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Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, Nevada Ethan Miller/Getty
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Baxter, Iowa.

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Baxter, Iowa Charlie Riedel/AP

Bradgate Park in Newtown Linford, Britain.

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REUTERS/Darren Staples
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Kraljevine on mountain Smetovi.

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REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

The village of Goroshki, a little west of Minsk in Belarus.

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REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko
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Some people camped out over night to watch the show in Ramon Carter near the town of Mitzpe Ramon in southern Israel.

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Ramon Carter near the town of Mitzpe Ramon, southern Israel, REUTERS/Amir Cohen

Alexandria, Virginia.

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Alexandria, Virginia jassanchez/Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
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Rogla, Slovenia.

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Rogla, Slovenia, early August 13, 2015 REUTERS/Srdjan Zivulovic

San Francisco, California.

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San Francisco, California Jono Kane/Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
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Tuzla, Bosnia.

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Tuzla, Bosnia Amel Emric/AP

Lilleshall Monument, Shropshire, England.

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Lilleshall Monument, Shropshire, England jamarmstrong/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
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Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

perseid meteor shower upper peninsula michigan nick bianco flickr cc by nc nd 2
Michigan's Upper Peninsula Nick Bianco/Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
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