A brief trail of light shoots across the sky as a tiny piece of dust from space burns up in the atmosphere to create nature's own fireworks display.

The annual Perseid meteor shower is expected to reach its peak from Thursday night and the results could be stunning.

Best known for being one of the most reliable showers in the meteor calendar, the "shooting stars" as they are affectionately referred to, usually feature some brighter meteors. You might even see the occasional fireball.

This year's shower is expected to reach a maximum peak of activity on the night of August 11 into August 12.

Astronomer David Warrington from the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory (SDSO) says you could observe them a couple of nights either side of this, with the potential to see about one meteor every minute during the peak.

The Perseids show up every year in August when Earth passes through trails of debris left behind by a comet.

This year, we may be in for a closer encounter than usual with Nasa saying forecasters are predicting a "Perseid outburst", the first time this has happened since 2009.

"The source of the dust is usually a comet, a small body of rock and ice which, when approaching the sun, leaves behind a trail of dust," David says.

"The source of the dust for this particular meteor shower is Comet Swift-Tuttle - a comet discovered in 1862."

No special equipment is needed to watch the spectacle but astronomer David does have some basic tips to make the most of the display, adding dark skies and clear weather will maximise the chances of seeing meteors.

"You should start to see some Perseid meteors as soon as it gets dark, from about 10pm onwards," David says. "The later you stay up, the darker skies will be and this increases your chances of seeing meteors.

"There are also occasional unpredictable burst of activity so don't worry if it's cloudy on the 11th into the 12th."

Of course, this natural phenomenon does require a clear dark night with STV weather presenter Sean Batty saying stargazers will need to have an eagle eye on the developing forecast to give themselves the best shot of watching the meteor shower, with certain areas of Scotland in for a better chance than others.

"On the night tipped to be the peak in the showers activity - the 11th into the 12th - Scotland will be in what's known as a warm sector," Sean says.

"This is the area between a warm and cold front. The warm front will pass over on the Thursday afternoon, and leave us in the warm sector overnight as the cold front hangs west.

"This is not good news as a warm sector usually keeps the skies mostly cloudy, and in this situation the thickest cloud will be in the north and west.

"There is a possibility of some breaks developing on Thursday night to the lee of the hills around Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee, Fife and eastern Borders."

Sean adds that things could improve if the cold front pushes south on Friday as is currently expected, with hints of a high pressure for the weekend also worth keeping an eye on.

"The skies could be a bit clearer on the Friday night into Saturday, although the north and west will still hang on to large amounts of cloud," he says.

"The Friday night is looking best again in the east of the country.

He adds: "With pressure rising into the weekend, things may improve for stargazers.

"Sunday night looks like the best chance for most of the country."

Scotland is home to many astronomical societies so we turned to them to glean their local knowledge of stargazing spots for this year's meteor shower.

You can also have a look at Dark Sky Discovery's website for tips on other stargazing locations close to you.

Around Glasgow

Dr Jennifer Toher from the Astronomical Society of Glasgow recommends places like Mugdock Country Park or Whitelee Windfarm as good options if you are looking for a good view of the night sky.

The wind farm will be opening the doors to its cafe, providing a safe place for people to stargaze, with staff from the planetarium at Glasgow Science Centre on hand to offer general stargazing tips.

People are encouraged to bring a deck chair, binoculars and warm reflective clothing. The event isn't ticketed so you can just turn up on the night of August 12 from 10pm until 1am on August 13.

"My top tip is to remember to bring enough warm clothing, as it can get pretty cold, even in summer," Jennifer says.

"And if you want to bring lights, cover them with something red as red light doesn't ruin your night vision."

Around Stirling

Bert Mackenzie, an observatory guide for the Stirling Astronomical Society, says 1am is the ideal time for optimum stargazing.

He says: "Around Stirling, suitable spots are the King's Knot and other park areas, as well as at the David Stirling statue which is 1.5 miles west of the Keir roundabout."

Lewis

Stornoway Astronomical Society president Donny Mackay says there are numerous locations on island well suited to viewing the Perseid meteor shower, although he has his own personal favourites.

"I would recommend the area in the vicinity of Ness to the north of the island such as the village of Skigersta, the Gallan Head peninsula on the west of the island, and also the area around the Callanish Stones near the village of Callanish," he says.

"These locations are all classed as dark sky areas where there is little or no light pollution."

Around Galloway

Galloway Forest Park is one of the dar kest places in Scotland and is the UK's first Dark Sky Park.

Doug Snell from the Galloway Forest Astronomical Society says there is a weather-dependent meeting planned on the evening of Friday, August 12.

"We will be at Kirroughtree Visitor Centre car park (grid reference NX 452 646: DG8 7BE is the nearest postcode)," he says.

"We will be starting at 8.30pm, while the gibbous moon is still visible, and we hope to do some lunar astrophotography using the 10in reflecting telescope, as well as tracking the Perseid meteor shower using fairly ordinary cameras on tripods."

Other locations tipped by Doug include Clatteringshaws Loch and Talnotry on the Queen's Way (A712 Newton Stewart to New Galloway road), both of which have car parks available.

Around Edinburgh

John Davies from the Royal Observatory Edinburgh says amateur skygazers would be best placed to find a site that is away from lights and busy roads.

"Generally speaking after midnight is better for meteors because that is when the geometry means that the meteor dust is crashing head-on into the atmosphere making the events brighter than in the early evening when it is more a of rear-end shunt than a head-on crash," the astronomer says.

"However, moonlight which makes the sky bright makes the meteors harder to see, so one needs to think about when the moon is up.

"It is also important to pick locations which are safe to visit at night and/or be part of group for mutual support and company.

"For casual observing a quiet area of local countryside would be fine, as long as it is safe."

For more experienced astronomers of those looking to take long exposure pictures, John points to the Dark Sky Discovery list of sites for stargazing, which includes Newbattle Abbey College and Dunfermline Public Park.

[Planning on stargazing? Send us your photos and we will share the best from around Scotland.](mailto: laura.piper@stv.tv )