Meteor shower will light up the sky tonight with up to 25 shooting stars an hour

Look up

The Orionid Meteor Shower takes place every autumn when the Earth passes through a stream of debris from Halley's Comit and thankfully for us, this will happen tonight (October 20) and will see up to 25 shooting stars passing overhead every hour.

If you miss it tonight then don't stress, as it can also be seen tomorrow morning and even on Sunday in some parts of the country.

To spot the Orionids, members of the public should find a dark place away from light pollution such as streetlights.

The meteors are said to be so spectacular that they can be seen with the naked eye so there's no need for telescopes or even binoculars.

However experts have advised you should spend at least twenty minutes in the dark to allow your eyes to adjust to the darkness.

The incredible shooting stars are said to travel of speeds up to 41 miles per second.

But now for the bad news.

Unless you've been living under a well insulated rock, you would've noticed that the weather has been absolutely awful over the past few days, so sadly there will likely be a lot of clouds in the sky tonight.

Another issue is our lunar satellite which will be a waxing crescent before becoming a half moon making its illumination close to 50 per cent.

Both of these factors mean that this year's conditions are not optimal because a brighter moon and a lot of clouds will make the meteors harder to spot.

However, even if the moon obscures the peak, the meteors will still be there and if you look hard enough, and find yourself in a lucky location, there's a great chance you'll see them booming through the midnight sky.

Happy watching.

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