Sky-watchers put on alert for spectacular meteor shower which could be seen in Shropshire
Sky-watchers will be keeping their fingers crossed for a cloud-free night next Thursday for one of the celestial events of the year.
The Geminid meteor shower is generally regarded as a good spectacle - and this year's display has already started. It is expected to last until December 20.
But this year's peak of activity should be next Thursday and Friday, December 14 and 15, which coincides with the moon sitting below the horizon the whole night.
The Royal Museums Greenwich (RMG) in London, the base of the Royal Observatory, says the shower has been known to produce over 150 meteors per hour at its peak, although light pollution and other factors mean that in reality, the actual number visible is far less.
Meteors are pieces of space debris that burn up in the Earth's atmosphere and cause visible streaks of light. If they hit the ground they are then called meteorites.
The light they produce depends on what they are made of.
The Geminids appear to come from the bright star Castor in the constellation Gemini and they are leftover pieces of an object known as 3200 Phaethon.
For the best chance of seeing them you will need to find a safe location away from street lights and other sources of light pollution.
And of course, keep your fingers crossed for a cloud-free time.
Shropshire's hills are a fantastic location for stargazers to take in the starry skies above.
The top of the Wrekin, Carding Mill Valley, Cross Dyke car park at Boiling Well, Pole Cottage and Shooting Box car park all have the darkest 'Milky Way Class' rating - meaning that the night skies are dark enough to see the Milky Way with the naked eye.
For more information visit the RMG website.
