Stargazers will be in their element this week - with Saturday (December 13) set to bring the peak of the annual shooting star display known as the Geminids meteor shower.
Clear skies are currently forecast in Essex for those who wish to brave the cold (and wind) to witness the display.
The best times to see it will be after 10pm, and particularly during the hours of 2am to 4am.
But what do we know about the Geminids meteor shower?
1. It is known as the Geminids meteor shower because the elements which make it up are said to come from the Gemini constellation
2. Unlike other meteor showers - which come from comets - Geminds originate from an asteriod, the 3200 Phaethon
3. It is ranked as having the most meteors of any annual display, with up to 150 per hour
4. The types of dust and rock which make it up are also known as the most colourful
5. The constellation Gemini rises just after sunset on December 13 and it sets just before sunrise on Sunday (December 14) so the meteor shower SHOULD be visible overnight
6. Geminids were first seen in the 1800s, after other showers such as the Perseids and Leonids, which were first sighted in AD
7. When a meteor appears, it seems to "shoot" quickly across the sky, hence the name 'shooting stars'
