SKYWATCHERS ARE IN for a treat when parts of an asteroid called Phaethon bombard the Earth tonight and tomorrow morning.

The best time to see the shooting stars are after midnight, but they can be seen at any time in the days before and after this peak once it’s dark.

The Geminid meteor showers are known to be very bright, and with no moon to cause a glare these meteors will be easily visible to the naked eye without the need for telescopes or binoculars.

David Moore, editor of Astronomy Ireland magazine said observers can expect to see a meteor every minute or so:

This meteor shower is the best meteor shower of the year and one that simply must not be missed! If you’ve never seen a shooting star before you’ll be in for a treat tonight, and you may even get to spot an extremely bright fireball.

People can also get involved in a Nationwide Meteor Watch to help give clues to the nature of the streams of debris leftover from comets and asteroids.