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Shooting stars from Halley's Comet are set to light up British skies as the Orionid meteor shower peaks tonight

Skywatchers could spot 10 to 20 meteors an hour in the early hours of Thursday 22 October, with debris from Halley's comet hitting the atmosphere at 41 miles per second.
Skywatchers could spot 10 to 20 meteors an hour in the early hours of Thursday 22 October, with debris from Halley's comet hitting the atmosphere at 41 miles per second.

Up to 20 meteors an hour could blaze across the sky in the early hours of Thursday, with dry, clear and cold conditions expected over much of Scotland. The prime viewing window runs from after midnight until just before dawn, away from light pollution. Éirinn Fitzgerald of the Glasgow Science Centre said the debris originates from 'a very famous comet' that orbits every 74 years. Anyone who misses the peak has until November 7 to catch further activity.

The comet's 1910 passage triggered widespread doomsday fears, with vendors selling 'anti-comet pills' and gas masks.

No telescope is required: just allow your eyes 20 minutes to adapt to the darkness.

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