Starwatch: Halley’s comet dust on show in meteor shower

It is possible that the comet is in deep space, somewhere on its path to returning to the Earth in July 2061, but we can still see some of it.

Dust grains from the comet are what make up the shower. There is a meteor shower that can be seen for most of the week at this time of the year.

The chart shows the view from London at night. The name of the shower is due to the fact that the meteors are coming from a point. Usually dependable, the shower can reach an hourly rate of more than 50 meteors but occasionally they peter out, as was the case in 2017: when the reported rates were only about 10 an hour.

If you want to observe the shower, look off to the side or above. The red beacon of Mars can be used as a guide. The shower can be seen from the south in the east- north-eastern sky.