For most skywatchers outside the path of Wednesday's total solar eclipse, the best astronomical show should occur a day and a half later, on Thursday, 12 August, and Friday, 13 August.

That is when the annual Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak with 50 to 150 shooting stars burning up in the Earth's atmosphere every hour.

Meteor streaks are specks of dust burning up in the atmosphere

In recent years, the spectacular October Leonid meteors have attracted considerable attention, but historically the Perseids are the best known, and usually the most rewarding, of all meteor showers.

This year should be a good one for viewing Perseids. The shower's maximum takes place on 12 August, just one day after the new moon. This means the sky will be dark and the meteors easier to spot.

Like most meteor showers, the Perseids are caused by comet debris. Comets are flying mountains of rock and ice and traverse the inner Solar System.

Comet tails

They are warmed by the Sun that causes ice to evaporate and produces their familiar tails.

Comet tails are made of tiny pieces of unmelted ice, dust and rock ejected from the comet's nucleus. When Earth encounters these particles on its journey around the Sun, they strike the atmosphere and burn up. These show up as bright streaks across the sky that can last for several seconds.

Most of these shooting stars are caused by meteoroids about the size of a grain of sand, but much less dense.

The meteors radiate from the constellation of Perseus. For northern-hemisphere observers at latitudes higher than about 35 degrees, the constellation never sets below the horizon.

Unfortunately the Perseids are not a good shower for skywatchers south of the equator.