Stargazers all across Greater Manchester will be in for a treat this weekend as the Earth passes through the debris left behind by Halley's Comet, resulting in a spectacular display lighting up the night sky.
While the Orionid meteor is active throughout most of October, it will reach its peak on Friday night - producing up to 25 meteors every hour - and will last until the early hours of Saturday. Meteors from Halley's Comet strike the Earth's atmosphere at 148,000mph, burning up in streaks of flashing lights in the sky.
The best bit is that you don't need any special equipment to view the meteor shower. However, it's probably best to get as far away from artificial light as possible so that your eyes can adjust to the darkness.
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While the meteor shower will be visible across the UK, forecasters have warned that people in the north may have to wait for clearer skies before catching a glimpse of the display.
A Met Office spokesperson said: "It’s always trickier to spot these kind of events in environments like city centres which have lots of background light. The bigger challenge tonight however is likely to be cloud cover.
"Cloud cover may obscure views of the sky in places. The best chance of clear periods will be across central and southern England and Wales with often cloudy skies in northern areas and only brief gaps in the cloud here.
"For Manchester specifically, it will only be the early hours of Saturday morning when the cloud starts to clear."
Jake Foster, a public astronomy officer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, told the PA news agency: “One of the things that makes this meteor shower extra special for some is that each meteor is a tiny piece of Halley’s Comet.”
The Orionids will be visible from both the northern and southern hemispheres until November 7.
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