Ever year astronomers mark their calender for one of the most stunning stargazing events - the annual Perseid meteor shower.

It is set to take place this weekend and forecasters have predicted clear skies across Burton, Uttoxeter and South Derbyshire, allowing for an amazing display.

The Perseid meteor shower takes place when the Earth travels through debris trailing behind the Swift-Tuttle comet, with shooting stars travelling at a mind-blowing 37 miles a second. Being the most popular annual meteor shower, around 80 shooting stars will be seen every hour.

Despite their speed, most of the meteors themselves are only the size of a grain of sand, so they dismantle and burn up in the atmosphere a long time before reaching the ground.

In historical folklore, shooting stars are thought to be either fallen angels, the tears of angels, omens of good or bad luck - and even souls on their way to the afterlife.

The shower saw its best show in 2009, as Jupiter's gravity pulled the comet's debris closer to Earth and the sky saw as many as 200 meteors per hour.

When can you see the Perseids?

The Perseids are visible until August 24, and will be their clearest on Saturday, August 12.

Despite all the excitement, astronomers say that there will be bright moonlight to contend with, making some of the shooting stars less visible.

In addition to this, the moon rises late at night, at around 11pm, so its glare will be sure to make it a little more difficult to see some of the stars.

NASA says that the visibility will be halved by the bright moon, meaning we will be able to see just 40 to 50 shooting stars per hour rather than the usual 80 to 100.

Where is the best place to see the Perseids?

For the best chance of a good view, the best bet would be to find an open space with a clear view of the sky which isn’t obscured by tall trees, buildings, or bright lights.

With the many parks and open spaces which Burton, Uttoxeter and South Derbyshire has to offer, it should be easy to find a great spot to observe the night sky. Happy stargazing!