The Perseid meteor shower, an annual phenomenon that occurs when earth's orbit collides with some of the debris left by the passage of the Comet Swift-Tuttle, offers stargazers a reliably dazzling sight.

The Perseids get their name because when they were first spotted they seemed to emanate from the Perseus constellation -- the scientific term for the place meteorites seem to emerge from is "radiant" -- but their radiance is now more like Cassiopeia.

The Swift-Tuttle comet originally passed through the inner solar system in 1862, and it derives its name from the men who discovered it, Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle. It most recently returned in 1992.

Scroll down to see unparalleled images of the event; it may occur regularly, but that doesn't make it any less spectacular:

The Perseid meteor shower
The Perseid meteor shower is caused by debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle. NASA
Perseid meteor shower
Perseid shower meteors can be traced to particles of dust from the tail of comet Swift-Tuttle. NASA
Meteors L, top and bottom, red streak
Meteors (L, top and bottom, red) streak past stars in the night sky near Amman, in the early hours of August 12, 2005. The Perseid meteor shower is sparked every August when the Earth passes through a stream of space debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle. Perseid meteor are bright, and often leave luminous trails of gas. The meteor was clearly visible to the naked eye in several parts of the Middle East. REUTERS/Ali Jarekji PP05080130
Double Meteor Shower Tonight Spectacular Cosmic Glimpses of Delta Aquarid and Perseid.
Stargazers and astronomers are getting ready for one of the biggest meteor event of all times as the annual Perseid meteor shower will coincide with the Delta Aquarid meteor shower causing a magnificent cosmic traffic jam. Reuters.
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