Perseid Meteor Shower 2018: Will the spectacular display be visible from Northern Ireland?

The biggest shooting-star show of the year is preparing to peak and weather permitting - we should get to catch a glimpse of it in Northern Ireland

The Perseids annually delight stargazers with 80-100 meteors an hour. The optimum time to observe them will be on the night of Sunday, August 12th into Monday, when we could spot anything up to 200 meteors an hour.

Of course, it will all depend on the weather.

PERSEID METEOR SHOWER 2018: WILL THE NORTHERN IRELAND WEATHER PLAY BALL?

Friday Evening: Clear skies. Feeling cold. Low of 8°C.

** Conditions will be near perfect for viewing.

Saturday Evening: Partly cloudy skies. Low of 14°C.

Sunday Evening: Rather cloudy with scattered showers. Low of 14°C.

** Peak of shooting star display

Monday Evening: Partly cloudy skies. Low of 13°C.

Here are some tips on how to increase your chances of seeing them...

1. Dark sky

You might not realise how much light pollution there is in your neighbourhood, find out more about light pollution and where you can find a really dark sky here. You should aim to get far away from towns, cities and main roads.

Allow your eyes 15 minutes to adjust to the darkness. Don't forget that the moon can also interfere so try to avoid times when it is visible.

2. Date and time

To increase your chances of seeing some meteors make sure you find out the best time to look for them. Often it is when the sky is at its darkest (in the middle of the night), or when the radiant (where the meteors come from - the constellation Perseus) is high in the sky.

3. Look in the right area

It sounds obvious, but the sky is a very large area and meteors are very fast! Make sure you know which area of the sky you should be looking in. The Perseids come from Perseus which can be found by finding the 'W' of Cassiopeia. Follow the bottom left star down and to the left, there you will find the area that the meteors will come from.

Watch the video for more details below...

4. Good weather

Again it seems obvious, but there's no point in standing in the cold when it's cloudy. Check the weather forecast before you set off and if it's going to be clear later on then wait until then if you can.

5. Don't use a telescope or binoculars

Using a telescope or binoculars will DECREASE your chances of seeing a meteor. Meteors are so quick that you are likely to miss them if you don't use the naked eye. Save your telescope or binoculars for the moon or planets.

Good luck stargazing, don't forget to wrap up warm!

• Stars