Stargazers from across Aotearoa have sent 1News pictures capturing the sight of falling meteors and glowing planets that lit up Sunday's sky.
From Waiheke Island to Takaka Bay, Kiwis braved the early hours to witness the rare sight of the Eta Aquariid meteor shower surrounded by the glow of Saturn, Mars, Jupiter and Venus.
Among them, amateur photographers captured the spectacle.
From the shore of Waiti Bay, Auckland Stardome Astronomer, Josh Aoraki used long exposure to capture three hours of the night sky.
Read more: Sunday morning to bring rare sight of planets and meteor shower
"There is something quite dazzling about staring at the sky at night as your eyes adjust to the darkness you start to see more and more."
"It's quite a special thing, that mix between orbital mechanics, science and art, the beauty of the universe... it was very fulfilling to watch."
On the tip of the South Island, Shelley Grell sent 1News a photo of a star falling across Takaka Bay.
"I managed to capture a couple [of] amateur photos of the four planets and some meteors, (with maybe a satellite or two also), in between the clouds," she wrote.
In Rotorua, Jessie Phillips provided a clear shot of Saturn in the lull between falling stars.
The annual sight is one of the Southern Hemisphere's most beautiful celestial events.
Each May, the Earth passes through the trail of dust and ice left by Haley's Comet, casting streaking glows as the comet's debris ignites, falling through the earth's atmosphere.
And while this year brought the stunning sight of four distant planets to the spectacle, Josh Aroraki says it's all in preparation for something rarer still, come June.
"Basically all the planets you can see with the naked eye will be visible at the same time."
He says Saturn, Mars, Venus and Jupiter have been gathering closer together since March and next month they'll be joined by Venus.
"Four planet alignments are pretty rare, but to get those five, also the time of Matariki, it's going to be pretty special."
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