The skies above Huddersfield are set to be illuminated by the Eta Aquariids meteor shower tonight and tomorrow.

The shower is an annual occurrence when Earth passes through a field of ice and dust left by Halley’s Comet.

Halley’s Comet creates two annual meteor showers the Eta Aquariids, which you can see in May, and the Orionids, which you can see in October.

Tell Me About the Eta Aquariids

Debris from Halley’s Comet, discovered in 1705 by Edmund Halley, produces the Eta Aquariids meteor showers.

The last time Halley’s Comet, which orbits our sun every 76 years, passed our planet was in 1986.

Halley's Comet
Halley's Comet

Its next appearance will be in 2062, but each year tiny particles from the comet the size of grains of sand burn up in the atmosphere, the Mirror reports.

This results in a shower of “shooting stars” over the Earth – a display that attracts stargazers around the world.

When will the Eta Aquariids be visible?

The Eta Aquariids will rain down on Earth tonight and tomorrow in a breathtaking astronomical spectacle.

Sky watchers in the southern hemisphere will have the best view of the meteors, but from the UK it should be possible to spot up to 30 per hour.

Meteor shower in Iceland
Meteor shower in Iceland

How to watch the Eta Aquariids

Although they can show up anywhere in the sky, the Eta Aquariids appear to originate from the direction of the constellation Aquarius in the north-east.

The best time to see them is just before dawn from a dark location in the countryside so somewhere like Castle Hill, Emley Moor or Holme Moss would be ideal.