Much of Ireland last night and early this morning was covered in cloud meaning we missed the peak of the Geminid meteor shower but the good news is that there will be more of offer tonight and with clearer sky’s expected over a bulk of Ireland many more will be able to be seen tonight shooting across our sky’s.

This is first time in which an event has been detected offshore northern Donegal, although several events have previously been detected offshore Antrim near Rathlin Island, and around the Scottish island of Islay. In the map below the epicentre of the earthquake is indicated with a red marker. Major fault zones in and around Ireland are shown with black lines.

The Geminid meteor shower, which is typically active every year between 4th of December and 17th of December. At its peak, the shower features about 120 meteors per hour traveling about 22 miles per second. The colors come from the elements the meteor is made from. Even with it only hours after the peak there will plenty tonight into Tuesday morning again.

This year we have the added bonus of a new moon resulting in darker skies.

The Geminids, which began to appear in the 19th century, are considered to be one of the best and most reliable meteor showers every year, according to NASA. Each year, the Earth passes through debris trails of leftover comet particles from bits of asteroids, which then collide with Earth's atmosphere and create colorful streaks through the sky.

The event is best seen at night and predawn hours, starting around 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. local time in the Northern Hemisphere, away from city or street lights. It is visible around the world, as long as there are no clouds to obstruct the view.

WEATHER FORECAST IRELAND

Best viewing conditions for tonight for Ireland will be across the east and north with the clearest skys across Ulster leinster and east Connacht. Some showers and cloudier weather is expected across coastal counties of west Connacht and west Munster.

Temperatures will range between 3C to 6C coldest in the midlands and north.

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