The Draconid meteor shower will be visible across UK skies on Friday night when stargazers could see up to 10 shooting stars an hour.

When you can see the Draconid meteor shower

The meteor shower occurs each year and will take place from October 7 to 11 this year but will peak on Friday night into Saturday morning.

The annual sighting is named after the constellation of Draco the dragon and the Draconids are one of the two meteor showers to light up the skies in October.

Dudley News: Draconid meteor shower. (PA Graphics)Draconid meteor shower. (PA Graphics)

Warning from Met Office

However stargazers have been issued a blow from the Met Office which has forecasted bad weather for astronomy fans with clouds set to cover much of the country.

Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said on Thursday: “Viewing conditions of the meteor shower are not optimal over the UK, but there will be limited opportunities with cloud breaks in central and southern England tonight and perhaps greater chances tomorrow.

“Skywatchers in northern and western parts of the UK will be hampered by cloud and rain.

“Fog may also create local difficulties in other areas.”

But if the clouds do part, the Draconids are best seen in the evening, after nightfall.

To optimise their chances of seeing the display people should try to find somewhere with dark skies, an unobstructed horizon and very little light pollution.

They should also ensure there are no direct sources of light to their eyes.

There is no advantage to using binoculars or a telescope.