A Meteor Shower Will Light Up The Sky Tonight – Here’s How To Watch It

Whatever your plans are this weekend, cancel them all, call up your loved ones, get in the brewskies, and cuddle under the night sky this evening - nature's about to put on a show.

The Perseid meteor shower will reportedly reach its peak visibility over this weekend (11-12 August). Combined with the cloudless skies and late summer nights, and skywatchers are sure to be dazzled by this astronomical display.

According to the Sun, the cosmic event, nicknamed the 'fiery tears of Saint Lawrence', occurs when the Earth moves through the trail of debris left by the Swift-Tuttle Comet.

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It's considered to be the best astronomical event of the year, as around 60 to 70 meteors fall per hour. And although 2016's outburst saw eager watchers spotting up to 300 shooting stars an hour, 2018 is set to be a landmark year. In other words, get those binoculars out!

The Perseids fall from 17 July to 24 August, but this is the best weekend to catch them, with experts citing the night of 12 August as being the peak.

Tonight's moon will be around three-quarters full, making it a little trickier to spot the shower in the sky. That said, there are a number of steps you can take in order to get a better viewing of the cosmic display.

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You'll want to ensure you're under a dark enough sky to see as many stars as possible. That means, city dwellers, you're going to have to head out to the countryside - or at least as far away as you can from the city's bright lights - if you want a decent viewing.

If you're lucky enough to live in a hilly or mountainous region, find a cosy spot with your significant other (singletons, grab your besties) and cuddle up with a bottle of wine to witness the celestial magic.

The best time to catch the shower is around 10pm, but really any time when the sky is dark enough will do the trick.

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The shower should be visible on both sides of the equator, although it is reportedly a better watch if you're in the mid-northern latitudes, meaning the top spots are European countries, as well as the US and Canada.

That's about all, lads and ladies - we hope you enjoy nature's cosmic theatricals this weekend. Beats festering at your local pub, that's for sure.

Topics: World News, Awesome, Interesting, space

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Daisy is a UK-based freelance journalist with too many opinions. She loves everything film and music-related and has a track record writing for Little White Lies, BWRC, and Film Daily. Contact her at [email protected]