Perseid meteor shower 2016: amazing time lapse footage captures light show in the Spanish skies

Hannah Al-Othman12 August 2016

This amazing time-lapse footage has captured the Perseid meteor shower lighting up the skies over Spain.

The bright pink streaks of light were caught on camera darting and zipping across the jet black sky, lit by a background of stars.

The annual event is caused by a trail of space debris from the tail of a comet that orbits the sun striking the atmosphere.

As the specks of dust from the comet, named Swift-Tuttle, disintegrate they create dazzling bright streaks of light.

Perseid meteors travel at speeds of 59 km per second and in urban areas they can be hard to spot.

However, the dazzling light show was captured in the clear skies above rural Spain.

The meteor shower will be visible during hours of darkness until tomorrow.

According to Greenwich Observatory, the best places to watch for the meteors are open areas, away from street lights, meaning Londoners have the best chance of spotting the colourful lights in parks such as Richmond Park or Hampstead Heath.

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