The Draconid meteor shower will hit UK skies on Friday evening, when stargazers might see up to 10 shooting stars an hour.

The meteor shower, which occurs each year, will be most visible for UK residents just after nightfall tomorrow, away from light pollution and with clear skies.

Unfortunately, the Met Office has forecasted bad weather for most of the UK tomorrow, with cloud covering much of the country.

There will be fairly mixed visibility in the county of Gloucestershire throughout tonight.

Whilst visibility is rated as 'good' by the Met Office in many areas, it will still remain cloudy.

This is the case for places like Cirencester, Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and more.

Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: “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.

Gazette Series: Where best to look in the sky to see the Draconid meteor shower (PA Graphics)Where best to look in the sky to see the Draconid meteor shower (PA Graphics)

“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.”

What is the Draconid meteor shower?

Meteor showers occur when the Earth passes through a debris cloud from a comet, causing a light show when the debris interacts with the Earth’s atmosphere.

The Draconid meteor shower comes specifically from the debris cloud of comet 21 P/Giacobini-Zinner, a relatively small comet at 1.24 miles wide.

This cloud is restored every 6.6 years as it orbits around the inner solar system.

When the debris cloud, consisting of rocks and dust particles, interacts with air molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere, viewers looking up at the sky can see bright lights from the interactions.

How can you see the Draconid meteor shower?

The best way to watch the meteor shower is by watching from a point with as little light pollution as possible and clear skies.

However, as cloud is forecasted for most of the UK tomorrow, breaks in the cloud cover are the best bet.

The meteor shower will be most visible in the early evening shortly after nightfall, when the constellation Draco the Dragon, the location of the debris cloud, is at its zenith.

The Draconid meteor shower is set to last from October 7 to 11, but the peak will be tomorrow evening into Saturday morning.

Providing there aren’t any clouds in the way you don’t even need binoculars or a telescope to see the stars.

The darkest, and best, places to watch the night sky in the UK are in the so-called "Dark Sky Reserves": Snowdonia, Brecon Beacons and Exmoor national parks.