Meteor shower reaches peak on Wednesday for spectacular show

FIND a dark spot out of the town or city on Wednesday night (August 12) and you could be in for the show of a lifetime as the Perseids meteor shower, which has been active in Spanish skies since July, is expected to reach its peak.

The showers are visible across the Northern Hemisphere, but the south of Europe is getting the best view. And with Wednesday being just before a new moon with the sky at its darkest, shooting stars will be at their clearest. 

The meteors are often most active before dawn, so if you can stay up all night, or you’re an early riser, you’re likely to see the very best of what is widely thought of as the most spectacular display of meteors in our atmosphere.

All hopeful star-gazers will need to do is find a place out of the way of light pollution, face north-east, get comfy and employ a little patience, with the director of the Spanish National Astronomical Observatory forecasting that people could spot 100 shooting stars in the space of an hour.

Fingers are crossed in the hope that the clouds which have been lurking over much of Spain for the past few days will be banished in time to watch nature’s own fireworks’ display.