Delta Aquariids meteor shower to be visible in UK this week

The display is expected to peak in the early hours of Tuesday with up to 25 shooting stars an hour streaking across the sky.

The Delta Aquariids mark the start of the summer meteor season in the Northern Hemisphere.

Like with most meteor showers, the Delta Aquariids get their name from the constellation in the night sky that they appear to radiate from – the constellation of Aquarius near the bright star Delta Aquarii.

The meteor shower is expected to peak in the early hours of Tuesday (Image: PA Wire/PA Graphics)

When is the best time to see the Delta Aquariids?

Skygazers will have the best chance to see the shooting stars between midnight and dawn, especially if they look above the southern horizon.

The meteors will be visible to the naked eye in an area of clear dark sky with little to no light pollution.

Conditions are fairly good with this year’s shower taking place a few days before a New Moon.

Some uncertainty among experts regarding the comet responsible for producing the Delta Aquariid meteor shower remains.

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But most recently a comet called Comet 96P/Machholz has been identified as the likely source.

As ice from the comet gets heated by the Sun small bits of rock and dust get loose, forming the trail of debris that produce the meteor shower.

The comet was discovered by Donald Machholz in 1986 and has an estimated diameter of four miles (6.4 kilometres) and takes just over five years to complete one orbit around the Sun.