The Orionid Meteor Shower is set to hit its peak tonight in what is a major event for astronomers nationwide.

The shower occurs each year in October and November with the peak being towards the latter half of October and will be visible tonight with the best viewing times being between midnight and dawn.

Dr Minjae Kim, research fellow at the department of Physics, University of Warwick stated that “This meteor shower holds a special place in the annual calendar of celestial events, not only for its breath-taking beauty but also because it originates from the debris of one of the most renowned comets in history, Halley’s Comet”.

Halley’s comet famously only comes around once every 75 years with it’s last visit being in 1986 and it’s next in 2061.

Halley’s comet, discovered by Edmond Halley in 1758, is the only known short-period comet that is visible to the naked eye from earth.

The estimated date the comet will be visible is the 28^th July 2061, making the Orionid’s coming every year that little big more special.

This year is expected to produce 25 meteors an hour and is expected to still be visible in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

However, The Royal Astronomical Society have stated that viewers will be “lucky to see one or two meteors an hour” due largely to a “waning gibbous moon” being radiant in the sky at peak in the morning.

Visible to the naked eye in all parts of the sky, all that is needed to spot the display is a bit of patience, a clear sky and a safe spot away from street lights and other light pollution.