Perseid Meteor Shower 2009

Look to the skies for a big surprise!

Tomorrow sees the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower, which will be clearest to UK stargazers just before dawn and from late evening on August 12, according to BBC News.

The shower occurs when the Earth passes through debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle, with dozens of meteors potentially visible per hour, without the aid of telescope.

Here's a preview of this amazing astronomical phenomenon, captured on August 9, 2009 by astrophotographer John Chumack.