The peak of a meteor shower is headed for London tonight (Monday, August 12) meaning the sky will be filled with shooting stars. While London is far from an ideal place to see them due to light pollution, there are definitely still ways you can make sure you see the cosmic event. It is called the Perseid Meteor Shower - named after the Greek mythology character Persius who slayed Medusa - and the peak lasts tonight and tomorrow night (August 12-13).
The beautiful phenomenon happens every August and is caused because the Earth is slamming straight into the trail of a 16-mile (26-kilometre) wide comet called Swift-Tuttle. It is considered the best meteor shower of the year. The meteors are fragments of ice and rock from the Swift-Tuttle Comet that have fallen off and are hurtling through space at speeds of around 36 miles a second (58 kilometres).
READ MORE: I'm a fitness fanatic and the BetterMe app has everything you could need to get in the best shape of your life Astronomy expert and Education Officer at Greenwich Observatory Jessica Lee, 30, spoke about whether they could be seen in London. She told MyLondon : "Most meteors would be faint and harder to see with light pollution but there could be some bright ones or if somebody is in a dark park or their eyes were adjusted they could see some. So it's definitely possible.
" Best places to see shooting stars in London Ms Lee gave some good general advice for those who want to spot shooting stars in the Perseid Meteor shower t.