The Delta Aquariids meteor shower will peak on Wednesday night, providing the UK with a light show of up to 20 'shooting stars' every hour.
The recurring shower — which takes its name in part from how it appears to come from the constellation of Aquarius — can be seen from July 12–August 23 each year.
The peak of the event typically occurs in the days around July 28 each year. In the northern hemisphere, the Delta Aquariids are easier to observe at lower latitudes.
From the UK, the light show is usually be visible from dusk to dawn without the need for a telescope, with the greatest views to be seen after 2am.
The best viewing locations are those away from bright light sources.
However, the appearance of the Delta Aquariids this year may be impeded by a waxing gibbous moon in the night sky, which may render them too faint to see.
The Delta Aquariids meteor shower will peak on Wednesday night — providing the UK with a light show of up to 20 'shooting stars' every hour. Pictured: a meteor from the Delta Aquariids shower streaks across the night sky above the Canary Island back in 2014
The recurring shower — which takes its name in part from how it appears to come from the constellation of Aquarius (depicted above) — can be seen from July 12–August 23 each year
Meteors are fragments of comets, asteroids or other space rocks that produce a streak of light as they burn up in the Earth's atmosphere.
Experts believe that the material that produces the Delta Aquariids most likely comes from a debris trail left in the wake of the disintegrating Comet 96P Machholz, which orbits once around the sun every five years.
This body was first spotted by the American amateur astronomer Donald Machholz from the peak of Loma Prieta, California, in the May of 1986.
Comet 96P Machholz is believed to have a nuclear that is around four miles (6.4 kilometres) in diameter
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