It’s that time of the year again. The Earth has passed through the orbital path of the Swift-Tuttle comet, and we are still alive! Big sigh of relief. This has been happening for almost 2,000 years, and we still haven’t come in contact with the comet. In fact, it’s estimated that we won’t come into contact until 3044. Shame, future descendants.

We think this is cause for a celebration in the form of a roundup of shots of the spectacular show that is the Perseid Meteor Shower. During the shower, up to 100 shooting starts fly through the sky each minute!

The meteor shower is peaking now, and will continue on for about another week, with fewer stars.

It is difficult to view the shower if you are in a major city, due to the pollution, smog and bright lights, but if you do want to try here are some tips:

1. The darker the better, you will be able to see more from the countryside, away from bright city lights
2. Best time to watch is between midnight and predawn
3. Give your eyes 15-20 minutes to adapt to darkness

If you don’t get to see the shower this year, we have you covered. Here are some photos from the last few days.

[SOURCE: Time, National Geographic]