Starwatch: moonlight puts a damper on the Perseid show

Our brightest and most reliable annual meteor shower will be affected this year by the proximity of the half moon

This week one of the most reliable annual meteor showers will be on show. The Perseids will reach their peak activity over the next few days. Start looking tonight, particularly in the early hours of the morning, then again tomorrow night and on Wednesday. The meteors are small particles of dust, left in space from the tail of Comet Swift-Tuttle, that burn up high above Earth. Each particle enters our atmosphere at a velocity of around 130,000 miles per hour.