CROSS your fingers for clear skies this coming weekend because we're approaching the peak of one of the year's best meteor showers, writes STUART ATKINSON.

This shower is called the Leonids because the meteors all appear to shoot out of the constellation of Leo, and although activity begins in early November it reaches its peak on November 17. That means if the sky is clear on any night between Thursday and Monday you will definitely see more meteors than usual if you head outside and look for them. Although you will see some shooting stars from your garden over the weekend, you'll see a lot more if you can get somewhere out in the open and free from light pollution. You want to be going out after 11pm and staying out as late as possible - the longer you stay out the more you will see.

How many, exactly? Well, we're not talking thousands or even hundreds every hour (no matter what you read on Facebook!). If we see one every five minutes or so overnight on the 17th/18th we'll be more than happy. Leonid meteors can be very bright, and some can be brightly coloured too. The brightest can leave ghostly 'smoke trails' behind in the sky that can linger for several minutes.

Leonid meteors are tiny pieces of dust from a comet called Tempel-Tuttle burning up as they plunge through Earth's atmosphere. You won't need a telescope or even a pair of binoculars to see this shower, just your eyes will do fine. Good luck!