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Remnants of Halley's Comet set to light up the night: Orionid shooting stars will blaze across the world's skies this week

Meteors were created by remnants of Halley's Comet last seen in 1986
Each year in October, Earth passes through the comet's dusty debris
The shower is expected to peak late Wednesday into Thursday morning
It can be seen all over the world in areas that are away from bright lights

By Ellie Zolfagharifard For Dailymail.com

Published: 19:37 EST, 20 October 2015 | Updated: 19:45 EST, 20 October 2015

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Astronomers are expecting a spectacular show this week from the Orionid meteor shower.

The shower is made up from the remnants of Halley's Comet which was last seen in 1986 and is not due to brighten the Earth skies until 2061.

But each year in mid-to-late October, Earth passes through the comet's dusty debris, and the pre-dawn sky can light up with a stunning display of shooting stars.

This week, anyone who lives in an area away from bright lights will have a chance to glimpse the stunning show, which peaks tomorrow night and Thursday morning.

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This image of the Orionid meteor shower was taken last year by Wayne Perry from Plymouth. He told DailyMail.com at the time that this was just the second attempt at photographing a meteor shower

THE ORIONID METEOR SHOWER

Comet of origin: 1P/Halley

Radiant: Just to the north of constellation Orion's bright star Betelgeuse

Active: 2 October - 7 November

Peak activity: 21-22 October

Peak activity meteor count: Approximately 20 meteors per hour in moonless skies.

Meteor velocity: 66 km (41 miles) per second

This year's shower is expected provide show, providing somewhere between 10 to 20 meteors an hour at its peak.

The best time to see it is during moonset at around 1:30am your local daylight time on Thursday, although you may spot some meteors before then on Wednesday night.

The shower will peak several hours later, at around 5am, when the Orion star constellation is will be highest in the sky.

People living in North America, Europe, most parts of Asia, and northern parts of South America will be able to see the meteor shower by looking towards the south-eastern sky.

Those who live in the southern hemisphere can see the shower by looking to the north eastern sky.

The meteors are known as 'Orionids' because they seem to fan out from a region to the north of the constellation Orion (circled)

John Maclean of Exeter Meteor Detection system in Devon captured the phenomenon above Exeter during a meteor shower last year. The spectacular show was the result of Earth's encounter with the remnants of the tail of Halley's Comet which last passed the planet in 1986 and left behind a trail of dust

No special viewing equipment is needed, and on a clear night, the shower can be seen with the naked eye.

When rock particles break away from the comet and pass through the Earth's upper atmosphere, it appears that the sky is full of 'falling stars'.

The meteors are known as 'Orionids' because they seem to fan out from a region to the north of the constellation Orion's second brightest star, Betelgeuse.

The Orionid meteor shower is not the strongest, but it is one of the most beautiful showers of the year, according to Bill Cooke, the head of Nasa Meteoroid Environment Office.

This is because shower is framed by some of the brightest stars in the heavens.

Constellations such as Taurus, Gemini and Orion provide a glittering backdrop for the display.

The brightest star of all, Sirius, is located just below Orion's left foot.