The Perseid meteor shower is visible from Thursday, July 17th, through late August. The onset of the showers this week aligns with a last-quarter moon phase, meaning the skies will be dark enough to really complement the fire of a few early meteors.

The Perseid meteor shower, expected to peak Aug. 12-13, will light up the night sky with up to 100 meteors per hour, offering stargazers one of the year’s best celestial shows.

For best results, get yourself out to a nice, dark spot away from city lights in the hours before dawn. Look to the northeast, towards the constellation of Perseus – the shower's namesake – which is where the meteors will appear to be radiating from. Avoid using your phone, to give your eyes time to adjust to the dark. Then, bust out the popcorn.

Meteor showers happen when dust from a passing comet or asteroid passes through the Earth's atmosphere. The tiny particles - roughly the size of a grain of sand - vaporise creating visible streaks of light. In the most dense parts of the dust stream more meteors are visible.