ASTRONOMERS AT the Mills Observatory in Dundee are hoping the clouds will blow away this weekend and give them a good view of a spectacular meteor shower.

The Perseids are particles ejected from the comet Swift-Tuttle and they cross the Earth’s path annually, gradually growing in intensity from mid-July until they peak in mid-August.

The high point of this year’s encounter is expected to come between 11pm tomorrow and 2am on Monday, when meteors should be streaking through the atmosphere at a rate of about one a minute.

The British Astronomical Association said the Perseids would be “the undoubted stand-out for meteor observers” this summer, partly because there is a new moon so the sky will be relatively dark.

That should make it easier to spot the meteors, which travel at 60km every second.

A spokesman for the Mills said, “It’s good that there won’t be much moon visible because it blots them out, but people will need to get away from street lights.

“Unfortunately the weather is not looking too good for the weekend, but if the cloud stays away it should be a good display.”

The meteors come in from the east at about 45 to 50 degrees up.