Fans of stargazing are in for a treat tonight as the year’s ‘most reliable’ meteor shower reaches its peak.
Eagle-eyed skywatchers will be able to see the spectacular Orionid Meteor Shower at its most active.
Every October, Earth passes through the wake of debris from Halley’s Comet, causing a burst of meteors to emerge from the constellation Orion.
Tonight, as our planet sweeps through the most dense part of the debris field, up to 25 fast-moving shooting stars will light up the sky every hour.
The best time to watch the shower is between midnight and the early hours of tomorrow morning but meteors can be spotted any time it is dark.
To make things even better, experts say you won’t need any specialist equipment to see the brilliant Orionids, no matter where you are.
And with clear skies forecast over England, Wales and parts of Scotland, conditions could be just right to get a great view of the yearly spectacle.
Stargazers will be in for a treat this evening as the spectacular Orionid Meteor Shower reaches its peak activity from midnight. Pictured: The Orionid meteor shower over Clun Castle, Shropshire
Jessica Lee, astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, told MailOnline: ‘A meteor shower is tiny pieces of cometary debris entering our atmosphere at such incredible speeds that they heat up and glow brightly.
‘We have meteor showers at regular times throughout the year as the Earth moves through clouds of this material as it moves around the Sun.’
As the comet 1P/Halley, better known as Halley’s comet, completes its 75-year cycle around the sun, it leaves behind a wake of dust and ice particles.
When the Earth passes through this cloud these tiny particles, some no bigger than a grain of sand, slam into our atmosphere at 41 miles per second (65 kmps).
Because the cloud of debris is so large, the Orionids are active for almost a month.
Ms Lee says: ‘There will be meteors visible from this shower from 2nd October – 7th November, but the peak is the night of the 21st – 22nd October.
‘The later you can stay up, the more meteors you could see. After midnight is better, but you might catch one at any time of night, as long as it’s dark.’
Shooting stars can be faint even at their brightest so, for the best views, try to find somewhere dark with a good open view of the sky.
To find the Orionids look to the East after midnight and try to find the Orion constellation. The meteors will appear to emerge from the region around Orion’s ‘club’ so keep your eyes on this region
Likewise, make sure to give your eyes plenty of time to adjust to the darkness by turning off your torches and putting away your phone for at least 10 minutes.
You should also be prepared to spend a while waiting, so bring plenty of warm clothes and a comfortable chair if possible.
Since annual meteor showers always appear in the same part of the sky, this should make it easy to find the meteor shower.
Ms Lee says: ‘They’re called the Orionids because they appear to originate from the constellation of Orion, which will be in the East after midnight.’
To make sure you are looking in the right direction, simply keep an eye out for the three distinctive stars which make up Orion’s belt.
However, the meteors won’t always emerge from within Orion itself so be sure to look around the edges of the constellation and especially around the stars known as Orion’s club.
Luckily, after the arrival of Storm Ashley over the weekend, the UK might finally have some clear skies ahead.
While conditions will be cloudy throughout much of the day, things will start to clear up from midnight onwards.
The Orionids occur each year as Earth passes through the wave of debris left behind by Halley’s Comet (pictured) as it completes its 75-year orbit of the sun
According to the Met Office forecast, most of England and Wales will see a largely cloudless sky by 02:00am before cloud cover returns in the morning.
Scottish stargazers will not be quite so fortunate but there are still plenty of gaps in the clouds forecast over most of the region.
A Met Office spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘Rain will clear the southeast this evening leaving clear spells elsewhere, with further showers in the north and west through the night.
‘Patchy fog will form across central and southeastern parts of England overnight.’
The biggest issue for stargazing this evening will be that the Moon is still at waning gibbous and will be about 80 per cent full.
The bright light from the moon will unfortunately make it more difficult to see some of the fainter shooting stars.
But if you do happen to miss out tonight, there is no need to worry.
Although the Orionid Meteor Shower’s official peak is 21-22 October, the shower has a very broad peak.
As the particles of dust from Halley’s Comet hit Earth they produce particularly-fast moving shooting stars with fine trails. The shower will be at its peak for the next two to three days and will continue until November 7. Picured: a metoer from the Orionid Meteor Shower imaged by NASA
That means meteor activity is likely to stay at its highest for about three more days after tonight.
Even then, the shower will be active until November 7 so there will be plenty of chances to catch this yearly display if you can’t make it out this week.
And if you do happen to miss the Orionids entirely, there are still four more meteor showers to come before the end of the year.
Next month, budding astronomers will be able to watch the Tuarid and Leonid Meteor Showers.
December, meanwhile, will also feature two meteor showers including the Geminids – the year’s most spectacular shower with up to 150 shooting stars per hour.
