The Orionid meteor shower, which is capable of producing bright fireball meteors, is set to peak in UK skies in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Skygazers could spot between 10 and 20 meteors per hour as the celestial spectacle reaches its zenith.

However clear skies will be needed to see the display and, while some parts of the UK should get a glimpse, cloud and rain may bring frustration in some areas.

If the weather spoils the view where you are, there will still be chances to see the shower until 7 November.

The Orionids are an annual meteor shower caused by debris left by Halley's comet in its journey around the Sun.

Every year, Earth passes through the comet dust and the debris burns with the friction caused by the atmosphere, creating a bright streak of light through the sky.

The Orionids are fast and bright, entering our atmosphere with speeds of around 41 miles per second. They can often produce long glowing trails and fireballs.

To spot them, find a dark spot with wide open skies, away from city light pollution and let your eyes adjust to the night sky for 20 minutes.

The meteors are visible to the naked eye so you won't need any specialist equipment like binoculars or a telescope.

The meteors will appear to originate from the constellation of Orion, near the red supergiant star Betelgeuse. This is known as the radiant.

Between midnight and dawn the constellation will climb higher in the sky to the south and then the south-west.

It is best to view the meteors slightly away from the radiant as they will be more visible.

Unfortunately, the Moon will be in the waxing gibbous phase on Wednesday night, throwing extra light into the night sky and reducing visibility.

However, conditions will improve once the Moon sets around 03:00 BST on Thursday morning.

Meteor showers are best seen in cloudless skies but these are far from guaranteed.

Two different weather systems will be affecting the UK during Wednesday night and Thursday morning - one that will bring cloud and rain in north-east Scotland through the early hours, and another that will linger across parts of Wales, the Midlands, East Anglia and south-east England.

Occasional clear interludes are possible but conditions will generally be challenging for viewing the Orionids in these areas.

Between these two weather fronts there is a better chance of clear skies overhead - particularly in Northern Ireland, southern Scotland and northern England.

Clear spells will also develop in south-west England and south Wales but there will be some patchy cloud and a scattering of heavy showers.

Viewing conditions may remain tricky later in the week, with Storm Austen forecast to bring cloud, rain and gales, and further unsettled weather forecast for the weekend.

Some fleeting clear spells are always possible and you can keep an eye on the latest forecast for your area here or on the BBC Weather app.