The Draconid meteor shower will hit UK skies on Friday evening, when stargazers might see up to 10 shooting stars an hour.

The meteor shower, which occurs each year, will be most visible for UK residents just after nightfall tomorrow, away from light pollution and with clear skies.

Unfortunately, the Met Office has forecasted bad weather for much of the UK tomorrow, with cloud covering much of the country.

Most areas of Essex will at least remain partly cloudy according to their predictions, but any breaks in the cloud could allow for some sightings.

What is the Draconid Meteor Shower?

Meteor showers occur when the Earth passes through a debris cloud from a comet, causing a light show when the debris interacts with the Earth’s atmosphere.

Thurrock Gazette: The best place to look to see the Draconid meteor shower in the sky (PA Graphics)The best place to look to see the Draconid meteor shower in the sky (PA Graphics)

The Draconid meteor shower comes specifically from the debris cloud of comet 21 P/Giacobini-Zinner, a relatively small comet at 1.24 miles wide.

This cloud is restored every 6.6 years as it orbits around the inner solar system.

When the debris cloud, consisting of rocks and dust particles, interacts with air molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere, viewers looking up at the sky can see bright lights from the interactions.

How can you see the Draconid meteor show?

The best way to watch the meteor shower is by watching from a point with as little light pollution as possible and clear skies.

However, as cloud is forecasted for most of the UK tomorrow, breaks in the cloud cover are the best bet.

The meteor shower will be most visible in the early evening shortly after nightfall, when the constellation Draco the Dragon, the location of the debris cloud, is at its zenith.

The Draconid meteor shower is set to last from October 7 to 11, but the peak will be tomorrow evening into Saturday morning.

Providing there aren’t any clouds in the way you don’t even need binoculars or a telescope to see the stars.

The darkest, and best, places to watch the night sky in the UK are in the so-called "Dark Sky Reserves": Snowdonia, Brecon Beacons and Exmoor national parks.