One hundred meteors an hour forecast in night skies

Clear conditions mean Perseid shooting stars should be visible, reports Pol Allingham

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SHOOTING stars will be visible across the UK in the annual Perseid meteor shower that reached its dazzling peak yesterday, but may be more visible during clear nights ahead.

Every summer the Earth slams into a trail of debris from the Swift-Tuttle comet that also orbits the Sun.

Specks as small as a grain of dust or rice flare up under the pressure of the planet's atmosphere to create shooting stars, said Royal Observatory Greenwich astronomer Dr Ed Bloomer.

Around 150 meteors will cross the sky per hour but that amount will not be visible because the horizon blocks a full view of the sky, he added. However, an estimated 100 meteors could be seen per hour in certain locations that are particularly flat and dark.

The meteor shower has been running for a few weeks and will continue until around August 24, the astronomer said.