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EVERY so often, our planet’s path around the sun takes us through part of the solar system littered with the debris of a long-departed comet or asteroid. Dust and rocks come hurtling towards Earth. They hit our atmosphere, where they suddenly slow down and burn up, producing a beautiful display in our skies. Some of these meteor showers produce more dazzling displays than others, and the Perseids meteor shower, which peaks on 12 August this year, is one of the best.

It is caused by a cloud of debris left in the wake of Comet Swift-Tuttle, which takes 133 years to complete its orbit of the sun. The comet was last visible in 1992 with the help of binoculars, and won’t be seen again until 2125. But in the meantime, we can enjoy the display it left behind for us.

Each meteor shower is named after the point in the sky where the meteors appear to originate, or radiate. In this case, it is the constellation Perseus. But to see the meteor shower, you don’t have to find this constellation, as meteors will shoot across the sky in all directions.

The shower will peak on 12 August, but if you wait until then, the whole night may turn out to be cloudy and you will miss your chance. So check the weather for the week beginning 9 August and try looking on any clear night. It is generally better to look before the peak rather than after, so bear this in mind.

Another factor to consider is light pollution. You don’t have to venture into the middle of nowhere to see meteors, but try to reduce the light around you. If you can, go to the middle of a park or away from street lights. If you are viewing from your house or garden, turn off all your lights and try to reduce the number of trees, houses and other obstructions in your view, to see more of the sky.

Moonlight can also obscure views of meteor showers, but 8 August will see a new phase of the moon, and by 12 August it will only be 17 per cent illuminated, which shouldn’t cause any trouble. Stop yourself from checking your phone or putting any lights on for 15 minutes, to let your eyes adjust.

The Perseids shower is visible from all over the world, but the best displays tend to be in the northern hemisphere, where the constellation Perseus can be seen. Perseus sits in the middle of a triangle formed by the W or M-shaped (depending on where you see it) constellation of Cassiopeia, the Pleiades star cluster and the bright star Canopus in the constellation Carina. If you can see any of these, you are looking in the right part of the sky.

But don’t worry too much about finding Perseus, just let your eyes adjust and look out for meteors. They will appear and disappear within seconds, moving rapidly across the sky. If you are lucky, you might even see some fireballs – big and brilliant meteors that appear as bright as Venus.

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