Perseid Meteor Shower Lights Up Sky Over Mattapoisett

Peter Mello has been a photographer for nearly his entire life. His father gave him his first camera when he was 8 years old, and he's been an avid photographer since. He also runs an arts center in Providence.

He has a passion for capturing money shots.

Capturing the Perseid Meteor Shower in Massachusetts

That's what would drive someone to set their alarm for 3 a.m. on a Monday. Mello wanted to ensure he woke up in time for the peak of a predicted meteor shower. The Perseids light up the night sky every year in mid-August, putting on a dazzling show for SouthCoast stargazers.

Get our free mobile app

Some of the best, most unobstructed views on the SouthCoast could be seen from Mattapoisett's Shipyard Park. Luckily, Mello's commute to the Mattapoisett waterfront is mere steps away.

Mello captured a bunch of breathtaking photos, but narrowed them down to his three favorite, which he shared on social media and permitted us to share with you.

"Shooting photos at night has always been intriguing to me," Mello said.

The photographer is traveling to Iceland later this month to chase the Northern Lights.

"I was going to do it again last night," Mello said. "It was a nice, clear night, but the true peak was on Sunday night."

Peter Mello

How Peter Mello Photographs the Perseids?

Does Mello train his camera to the skies and start rolling video? Or does he wait to see a meteor before he starts snapping?

"I set my camera up and it has a setting called intervalometer," he said. "I probably took 700 photos to capture the three that I shared."

Under that setting, the camera will shoot in intervals of one second followed by five seconds. It just keeps shooting.

Morning Meteors at Mattapoisett's Shipyard Park

Mello's pet project is called Good Morning, Shipyard Park. He has been taking the same photo every day from his deck overlooking Mattapoisett Harbor for the past 13 years. You can see those photos on his Instagram account, petermello. You can also browse his other photos at petermellophoto.com.

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Peter A. Mello (@petermello)

LOOK: 31 breathtaking images from NASA's public library

In 2017, NASA opened the digital doors to its image and video library website, allowing the public to access more than 140,000 images, videos, and audio files. The collection provides unprecedented views of space. Stacker reviewed the collection to select 31 of the most breathtaking images, including the first from the James Webb Space Telescope. Keep reading to see these stunning images, curated with further information about the captured scenes.

Gallery Credit: Deborah Brosseau