In Case You Missed it, Breathtaking Views of Perseid Meteor Shower 2011

Photo: Reuters

Perseids Meteor Shower 2011

Photo: Reuters

Perseids Meteor Shower 2011

Photo: Reuters

Perseids Meteor Shower 2011

Photo: Reuters

Perseids Meteor Shower 2011

Photo: Reuters

They are called Perseid meteoroids while they are in space; Perseid meteors when they enter the space and Perseid meteorites if any of these millions of specks hit the grounds as it hits the Earth. A meteor streaks past stars in the night sky over over El Torcal nature park reserve in Antequera

Photo: REUTERS/Jon Nazca

If you think Perseids are slowpokes, you’re wrong. These little specks travel at the speed of up to 133,200 mph (60 kilometers per second) - - relative to the planet. They come in the size of sand grains. But there are some as big as peas and Most are the size of sand grains; a few are as big as peas or marbles. An ibex is silhouetted during sunrise after the Perseid meteor shower in the night sky over El Torcal nature park reserve in the southern Spanish town of Antequera, near Malaga early August 13, 2011. The Perseid meteor shower is sparked every August when the Earth passes through a stream of space debris left by comet Swift-Tuttle.

Photo: Space.com via Carolyne Jackson

An astronomer, Brian Marsden predicted that Swift-Tuttle would hit Earth in one of its future passes. Though there were studies and observations debunking Marsden’s predictions, the near-miss coming has not died down and the astronomer has reiterated that a “cosmic near-miss collision” should be expected in 3044. Skywatcher Carolyne Jackson of Woking, Surrey in England snapped this amazing photo of a Perseid meteor from her backyard during the peak of the 2011 Perseid meteor shower on Aug. 12, 2011.