STARGAZERS could see up to 200 shooting stars per hour when the annual Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak tonight. 

The Perseid meteor shower is one of the year's best known showers.

The annual spectacular officially started on July 17 and runs until August 24, but is set to reach its climax between Thursday and Saturday. 

A potential Perseid "outburst" means there could twice as many meteors as usual, with 150 to 200 shooting stars predicted per hour between Thursday and Friday. 

South Wales Argus astronomer Jonathan Powell has given his top tips for where best to see the shower reach its climax tonight:

  1. Keepers Pond near Blaenavon – It’s high up with no artificial lights and easy to get to.
  2. Tintern, Monmouthshire – Anywhere high up such as Devils Pulpit, with a good north-eastern vantage point. Nearby Ross-on-Wye can also be a god place to go.
  3. Sugar Loaf Mountain near Abergavenny – A really good viewing point but quite out of the way.
  4. Penhow near Newport – Some good clear fields with no street lighting between The Groes Wen Inn on the A48 and the Rock and Fountain pub nearby.
  5. Llandegfedd Reservoir, Usk – A clear spot near Pontypool with no street lights, which will be more picturesque by the water.

Mr Powell said: “I would advise people to not travel too far but it’s important to get away from artificial street lights and into clear darkness, even if it’s a nearby field, otherwise you won’t be able to see the smaller showers.

“It’s important to be at a place like the Keepers Pond, where I'll be, as it has a clear north-eastern aspect, which is where the beauty will be coming from.”

Current weather forecasts suggest conditions will be near-perfect for stargazing, with partly clear skies predicted from 10pm, when it should be building up before the clouds are set to disappear from 1am onwards.

Mr Powell added: “It will be a late one which could appeal to youngsters on their holidays. We are likely to see over 150 constellations, maybe 200 at its peak at around 2am before dawn.

“It’s double what we would usually get and it’s going to be very colourful.”

Current weather forecasts suggest conditions will be perfect for stargazing, with partly clear skies predicted for 10pm with clouds set to disappear from 1am onwards. 

The meteor shower is named after Perseus, the point within the constellation from which it appears to originate.

The best time to spot the display is between 1am and before the onset of dawn.

You won’t need a telescope or binoculars, as the display will be visible to the naked eye but you should allow around 20 minutes for your eyes to become accustomed to the dark.

The Perseids are one of the most prolific and best-known of the meteor showers. They were the first to be connected with a comet when astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli noted the relationship between their orbit and that of Comet Swift-Tuttle in 1862.

Meteors, commonly known as shooting stars, are the result of small particles entering the Earth's atmosphere at high speed. These heat the air around them, causing the characteristic streak of light seen from the ground.

They mostly appear as fleeting flashes lasting less than a second, but the brightest ones leave behind trails of vaporised gases and glowing air molecules that may take a few seconds to fade.

And stargazers could also be in for another treat, with a planetary dance also taking place on August 11. 

You can send your pictures to newsdesk@southwalesargus.co.uk