Geminid meteor shower set to light up sky during weekend peak

The meteor shower peaks this weekend with dark skies giving the UK a good chance of seeing them, weather-permitting

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The meteors are visible all over the world, though people in the Northern Hemisphere will get the best views.

In the UK, if the skies are clear, a waning crescent Moon will only rise after midnight which should mean several hours of dark skies to see the meteors more clearly.

Here's the science behind the Geminids and how to get the best chance of seeing them.

We get treated to meteor showers when Earth passes through the trails of comets - icy objects which Nasa calls 'cosmic snowballs' - or in rarer cases, including the Geminids, asteroids, which are rocky.