Almost a meteor shower

My buddy Thomas and I went to photograph the Perseid meteor shower the other night...which I saw, but did not capture. I read up on techniqes before I went, but they didn't work. I got lots of stars, no meteors. I think the shot must need to be stopped directly after a meteor goes through the frame, otherwise you gather more light and the streak no longer distinguishes itself...I don't know. Anyway, we saw probably 40-50 in about 2 hours time and it was defintely a cool thing to see. I read one funny statement in a news article that said in the year 2271 or something we'll come within 23 million kilometers of the main meteor body, but "scientists say earth will not hit the meteor." Thanks to some highly educated scientists and a journalist keen on gleening invaluable facts, we now know that earth WILL NOT hit an object that is over 23 million kilometers away...