Shooting stars from the Orionid meteor shower will delight skywatchers tonight, as up to 20 space rocks are expected to shoot overhead per hour.
Orionid meteors occur every autumn when Earth passes through the stream of debris left by Halley's Comet, and will reach their peak tonight and tomorrow night.
As the comet moves around the sun, it leaves tiny pieces of dust and icy debris behind, and as the Earth passes through this cloud of matter, they burn up in the atmosphere, generating fast, bright streaks of light known as meteors.
The darker the sky, the more you will see, with a maximum of about 20 per hour.
However, the nearly full Hunter's Moon will also peak this evening - the bright light from which could dramatically reduce viewing to just two or three meteors per hour.
The weather will also present a further hindrance to a good viewing of the meteor shower, with rain and clouds expected across much of the UK tonight.
Shooting stars from the Orionid Meteor Shower will delight skywatchers tonight, as up to 20 space rocks are expected to shoot overhead per hour
Tonight and through to Friday morning, the meteoroids will strike Earth's atmosphere at a speed of 148,000mph, (238,000km/h).
As they hit the atmosphere they will burn up in streaking flashes of light that can be seen with the naked eye.
Astronomers from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said this is a 'modest shower' and will only produce 20 per hour under 'absolutely perfect conditions'.
'In reality, you'll see far fewer, because your local conditions are variously less than ideal,' they said.
However, Orionid meteors are known for their speed and brilliance, so the handful visible in any area will look like 'shooting stars' zipping across the sky.'
The best time to see the shower is about 01:30 BST, when the sky is at its darkest.
To make sure you get the best view of the shower, get far away from light pollution – such as city lights.
Experts recommend you let your eyes adjust to the dark for around 20 minutes.
Full moons, or nearly full moons such as the current Hunter's Moon, will significantly reduce visibility, similar to being surrounded by street lights.
The Hunter's Moon is the name given to the October full moon, and is also known as the Blood Moon,
