How Astronauts Watch the Perseid Meteor Shower

Microgravity means stunning views.

The Perseid meteor shower makes its annual appearance this week, and there’s plenty of stargazing guides available for how, where, and when to watch.

But some observers get a better look than most: the six people floating in space aboard the International Space Station, circling the Earth every 90 minutes.

Here’s the view NASA astronaut Scott Kelly had of the meteor shower, which peaked Wednesday night:

Space weather forecast from @ISS: Moonless with a chance of #Perseid meteors! #YearInSpace #space #spacestation #wx #weather #meteors #meteorshower #constellation #astronomy #nasa

A photo posted by Scott Kelly (@stationcdrkelly) on Aug 12, 2015 at 9:33am PDT

NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly shared this incredible video last night, August 11, showing “our galactic home” with the stars of the Milky Way. Kelly is living and working off the Earth, for the Earth aboard the station for a yearlong mission. Traveling the world more than 220 miles above the Earth, and at 17,500 mph, he circumnavigates the globe more than a dozen times a day conducting research about how the body adapts and changes to living in space for a long duration. Video credit: NASA #nasa #spacestation @iss #iss #milkyway #space #stars #nightsky #sky

A video posted by NASA (@nasa) on Aug 12, 2015 at 6:29am PDT

Not too shabby.

The Perseid shower continues Thursday night. It occurs each summer, when Earth crosses paths with the comet Swift-Tuttle and the trail of dust and rock that follows it. When the tiny pieces of debris meet Earth’s atmosphere—at a whopping speed of 130,000 mph—they burn up, creating the dozens of shooting stars streaking across the night and early morning sky.