Five handy hints for better viewing:
Thursday night into early Friday is the peak of the action for the Perseids show this year. It's very active this year as the earth moves through a more central swathe of Comet Swift-Tuttle' s tail of debris. If it is too cloudy tonight, do try again on Friday night,even at the weekend as it is a gradual increase and diminishing.
If you are in the centre of a city, your viewing will be restricted by all the street light. Out in the countryside is better and ideal, the Dark Skies Discovery sites
The Perseids are named after the constellation Perseus, which can be found in the north-eastern part of the sky.
We do have a waxing moon tonight which sets after midnight tonight. So to get rid of that extra light and have a darker view, check your moon set times here. You'll notice it's even later tomorrow night.
Popping out, having a quick glance at the sky whilst you put the bin/cat out is unlikely to result in you seeing a shooting star. Patience and warm clothing will be required. Take your time for your eyes to adjust, get comfortable, wrap up warm and meteors of over 1 per minute are being predicted tonight.
So what about the weather?
It's not ideal, but there will be some good breaks mainly for eastern Britain. It will be blustery with brisk west winds. Although the air isn't that cold, with air temperatures around 11 to 16C overnight, it will feel chilly sitting about. The air is damp and the wind will be a factor. It's worth a look both nights but will be a bit hit and miss. The band of cloud over southern Britain on Friday night is a cold front, and typically behind that you would expect some clearer conditions.
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