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Perseid meteor shower: See photos of celestial show during peak activity

Perseids, considered the best meteor shower of the year, reached peak activity Sunday night. Some even caught the northern lights at the same time.

Portrait of Eric Lagatta Eric Lagatta
USA TODAY

The Perseids, considered among astronomers to be the best meteor shower of the year, reached peak activity Sunday night.

Meteors whizzing across the night sky provided quite the celestial show to skygazers across the world, some of whom may have even caught of rare glimpse of the stunning northern lights at the same time.

While the Perseid meteors are active every year from July to September, mid-August happens to be when the activity reaches its peak. If you missed the display Sunday night, fear not: The Perseid meteor shower is expected to still be at its peak Monday night as well, according to the American Meteor Society.

In the meantime, check out these photos captured during the weekend of streaking meteors in the both U.S. and around the globe. Some are even backdropped by the famed aurora borealis.

Perseids to peak:When and how to watch the best meteor shower of the year

Perseid meteor shower: See photos of celestial display

Billy Beckett, acting president of the Corpus Christi Astronomical Society, searches the night sky Saturday for meteors from the Perseid meteor shower at Padre Island National Seashore Night-Sky Observatory in Corpus Christi, Texas.
A long exposure of the night sky seen Saturday from the Padre Island National Seashore Night-Sky Observatory in Corpus Christi, Texas. In a bonus for skygazers, this year's Perseids peak happened to coincide with the appearance of the famed aurora borealis, or northern lights.
A man uses a laser pointer to highlight a constellation Saturday at the Padre Island National Seashore Night-Sky Observatory in Corpus Christi, Texas while examining the night sky for Perseids meteors.

Northern lights coincide with Perseids

Perseid meteors appear to be streaking across the night sky early Monday in this long exposure picture showing the northern lights (aurora borealis) in Poland. Sights of the two celestial phenomena just happened to coincide this weekend.

Contributing: Julia Gomez, USA TODAY

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com