One of this year’s last meteor showers will be visible across Australia early on Friday morning, offering a chance to catch a glimpse of a few shooting stars before the sun rises.

The Leonid meteor shower is an annual event that occurs when Earth passes through the trail of debris left in space by Comet Temple-Tuttle.

As Earth passes through this stream of fast-moving space-dust, which happens in November each year, some of the particles enter our planet’s atmosphere and create a bright streak of light as they burn up.

This year’s Leonids meteor shower takes place for most of November. However, its peak will occur on the night of Thursday, November 17 and early in the morning of Friday, November 18.

The meteor shower will become visible in Australia from early on Friday morning, picking up at around 3am and lasting until light from the rising sun starts to fill the sky. Early risers, or very late sleepers, can look towards the northeast to catch a glimpse the shooting stars on Friday morning.

If you miss this month’s Leonids meteor shower, the next chance to see shooting stars from Australia will be the Gemenids meteor shower in mid-December.

According to NASA, the best way to view meteor showers with your naked eyes is to:

• Get as far away from urban light pollution as possible and find a location with a clear, unclouded view of the night sky
• Wear clothing appropriate for cold overnight temperatures, which might include mittens or gloves, and blankets
• Bring something comfortable on which to sit or lie down
• Avoid looking at your cell phone or any other light. Both destroy night vision
• Put away the telescope or binoculars. Using either reduces the amount of sky you can see at one time