THE FIRST meteor shower of 2020 is upon us.

Avid stargazers should be able to spot the annual Quadrantid meteor shower tonight and into the early hours of Saturday morning.

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Up to 60 meteors an hour are expected to burn across the sky in a spectacular display.

The Quadrantid meteor shower usually starts in late December and lasts until early January but the best time to see it will be January 3 and 4.

This is because tonight is when the meteor shower will reach its peak.

The celestial display occurs because the Earth passes through the trail of an asteroid or possible rock comet called 2003 EH1.

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This space rock is travelling through our Solar System at 26 miles per second.

Meteors are pieces of debris that have broken off asteroids or comets.

If this debris comes into contact with the Earth's atmosphere at speed then they burn up and become visible as bright streaks across the sky.

The meteor shower is set to peak later on tonight and in the early hours of tomorrow morning.

Some experts think your best chance of seeing the bright display will be just before sunrise on Saturday 4.

Sunrise in London will be at 8:06am.

You'll want to be outside at least an hour before this so your eyes have a chance to adjust to the dark.

The meteor shower should be visible from most of the countries in the Northern Hemisphere.

You'll need to look north-east and below the handle of the Big Dipper constellation.

As with any meteor shower, there is no guarantee you'll definitely be able to spot it as sometimes it just comes down to the luck of being in the right place at the right time.

The Royal Observatory advise: "For the best conditions, you want to find a safe location away from street lights and other sources of light pollution.

"The meteors can be seen in all parts of the sky, so its good to be in a wide-open space where you can scan the night sky with your eyes."

What's the difference between an asteroid, meteor and comet?

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Will you be looking out for the Quadrantids? Let us know in the comments...

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Huge fireballs from dead comet will soar across sky TONIGHT how to spot the Quadrantid meteor shower - The Sun