Things are looking up for stargazers as Perseids peak tonight

The sky is expected to brighten up this week but it has nothing to do with sunshine: rather, the annual Perseid meteor shower is approaching its peak.

- Nicola Davis

Considered one of the best meteor showers of the year, the Perseids are active from mid-July and are predicted to peak overnight from this evening to tomorrow night.

However, Dr Ed Bloomer, a senior astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said there would not be a dramatic rise and fall in visibility.

"The Perseids should give good viewing a couple of days either side, with local weather and light conditions probably more significant factors than the precise mathematical peak," he said.

The meteors appear to come from between the constellations of Camelopardalis and Perseus, from which they get their name. Bloomer said it was advisable to look at them out of the corner of the eye.