CONTRARY to popular opinion, shooting stars aren't actually that rare. They're zipping across the sky every night, but you'll only see them if you're looking in the right direction at the right time. But half a dozen or so times every year, when Earth ploughs through one of the many streams of dust left behind by a comet orbiting the Sun, we can guarantee seeing more than usual for a short period - an event astronomers call a meteor shower.

The term meteor shower is a bit misleading. During one, hundreds of shooting stars don't fall from the sky like a downpour of rain. Instead we might see one skip across the sky every couple of minutes. We're in the middle of a meteor shower called the Perseids right now, and it reaches its peak this coming weekend. So if the sky is clear after midnight on Friday and Saturday night we will definitely see more shooting stars than usual. Unfortunately a big, bright, almost-Full Moon will be in the sky too, drowning out the fainter ones, but the brighter ones will still be seen.

You will see some shooting stars from your garden, but you'll see many more if you can get somewhere dark, away from streetlights, with a big view of the sky, you'll see more. No telescope or binoculars needed, this is something to enjoy with just your naked eye.

Stuart Atkinson, astronomer, Kendal