WATCH: Perseid Meteor Shower Lights Up Weekend Skies

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vroLnrBhbmk]

For those of you who weren’t out stargazing this weekend (or those of you who were burdened with cloudy weather), fear not. You can still bask in the celestial glory of the annual Perseid meteor shower, which peaked in the early hours of Sunday, August 12. This time-lapse video footage shot in California provides a stunning look at the late-night stars along with bright flashes as meteors shoot through the sky.

The meteor shower occurs every summer in late July and early August as the Earth swims through ice and dust left in the wake of the comet Swift-Tuttle. The debris slams into Earth’s atmosphere so fast that it burns, and voilĂ : a meteor shower is born.

Though the celestial light show peaked this weekend, if you look closely on a clear night in the next week, you could continue to see meteors dashing through the sky. And if not, there’s always next year.

MORE: Annual Geminid Meteor Shower Lights Up the Night Sky