Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2026 August 18 [2]A starfield is bounded by trees on three sides and a pond on the bottom. Amongst the stars are many streaks of light appearing to emanate from a place on the sky just above a foreground bridge. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. Perseids from Perseus Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Jakub Kuřák Explanation: This was a good year for the [4]Perseids meteor shower. A key reason was [5]the Moon was absent from lighting up [6]Earth's night sky so that [7]more meteors were visible than usual. Where was the Moon? It was busy [8]visiting the Sun. Near the Perseids peak, the Moon moved directly in front of the Sun and created a total [9]solar eclipse visible from [10]Greenland and [11]Spain. The [12]Perseids occur when the Earth collides with a [13]stream of Sun-orbiting debris cast off by [14]Comet Swift-Tuttle. Perseid meteors, although typically only the size of a [15]sand grain, tend to be fast and bright because Swift-Tuttle's debris orbits [16]the Sun in a [17]direction partly opposite Earth's orbital motion. In the [18]featured image compilation, accumulated over several nights from [19]Jizerka in the [20]Czech Republic, the Perseids meteor streaks can be traced back to a single location on the sky -- its [21]radiant in [22]Perseus. Gallery: [23]Perseids Meteor Shower of 2026 Tomorrow's picture: open space __________________________________________________________________ [24]< | [25]Archive | [26]Submissions | [27]Index | [28]Search | [29]Calendar | [30]RSS | [31]Education | [32]About APOD | [33]Discuss | [34]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [35]Robert Nemiroff ([36]MTU) & [37]Jerry Bonnell ([38]UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn [39]Specific rights apply. [40]NASA Web Privacy, [41]Accessibility, [42]Notices; A service of: [43]ASD at [44]NASA / [45]GSFC, [46]NASA Science Activation & [47]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2608/Perseids_karuk_3000.jpg 3. https://www.instagram.com/jakubkurak/ 4. https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/meteors-meteorites/perseids/ 5. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220612.html 6. https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/whats-up-august-2026-skywatching-tips-from-nasa/ 7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240812.html 8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170920.html 9. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/eclipse-snap/en/ 10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260814.html 11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260813.html 12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseids 13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240811.html 14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240808.html 15. https://www.whoi.edu/ocean-learning-hub/ocean-facts/how-is-beach-sand-created/ 16. https://science.nasa.gov/sun/ 17. https://static.vecteezy.com/system/resources/thumbnails/072/246/507/small/two-playful-puppies-having-fun-in-a-sunny-garden-showcasing-their-energy-and-joy-together-photo.jpeg 18. https://www.instagram.com/p/DcDiPkTO_me/ 19. https://youtu.be/we1CzbCIdRQ 20. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_Republic 21. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiant_(meteor_shower) 22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250812.html 23. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1048378281224082&type=3 24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260817.html 25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 28. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 30. https://apod.com/feed.rss 31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 33. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260818 34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260819.html 35. https://www.mtu.edu/physics/department/faculty/nemiroff/ 36. https://www.mtu.edu/physics/ 37. https://inspirehep.net/authors/1073087 38. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 39. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 40. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 41. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/ 42. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/ 43. https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/astrophysics/ 44. https://www.nasa.gov/ 45. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 46. https://science.nasa.gov/learn/about-science-activation/ 47. http://www.mtu.edu/