The reliable Leonid meteor shower peaks on Sunday night, offering a chance to see up to dozens of meteors per hour shooting across the night sky — if the weather doesn't get in the way.

The event produces some of the year’s fastest meteors, although the nearly full moon may make them challenging to spot.

For stargazers, this weekend may be a prime time to make a wish, as the Leonid meteors are set to put on a spectacular show. When observing a streak of light in the night sky, you might think of it one of two ways.

Meteors during the Leonid shower are considered to be some of the fastest to appear each year, NASA said, as they travel at about 44 miles per second across the night sky, and they are known for their fireballs—caused by larger debris—that are often brighter and leave behind “long and colorful tails.”

The Leonids meteor shower is about to reach its peak across the UK tonight just as the Beaver supermoon wanes. A dazzling display of fast, bright meteors, entering the atmosphere at 70 kilometres per second,

"Watching during the early morning, when the moon is lower in the sky, can improve your chances of seeing more meteors."

This particular shower comes from Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, which takes about 33 years to orbit around the sun and back near Earth, according to NASA's website. The comet was "discovered" twice: first in 1865 by Ernst Temple and then in 1866 by Horace Tuttle, which is where the comet's namesake comes from.