The Leonids - one of the most prolific annual meteor shower - will be streaking across the sky until November 30. Characterised by fast, bright meteors, the Leonids will reach its peak on November 18.
The celestial event will be visible to the naked eye for those in London despite the city’s light pollution.
However, in order to ensure that you see these bits of an ancient comet crashing through space and burning up in our atmosphere, you do need to plan a little.
Visibility will vary according on the local conditions. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, the Met Office predicts quite a lot of rain and clouds on November 18.
Clearer skies are expected in the days leading up to the peak, therefore, it could be worth trying to see the meteor shower just before it reaches its peak.
For fantastic elevated views of the city and night sky, it might be best to visit Primrose Hill in West London or One Tree Hill Park in South East London. In addition, there is Greenwich Observatory and Shooters Hill in East London.
If you are unable to see them on November 18, don't worry. They can be seen until November 30, but November 18 is when they are most visible.
The shower is linked to Comet Tempel-Tuttle, which orbits the sun and leaves behind a trail of minute debris, some of which is as small as a grain of sand.
This celestial debris vaporizes and produces the amazing light streaks known as meteors as it strikes our planet's atmosphere at up to 43 miles (70km) per second.
The name comes from the fact that the radiant, or the location from which the meteors appear to stream, is located near the head, or ‘sickle’ of the constellation Leo the Lion.
In recent years, the Leonid shower has been incredibly active, with thousands of meteors per hour.
