One of the most spectacular meteor showers of the year is expected to light up the night sky this weekend.

The Geminid meteor shower, also called a meteor storm because of its intensity, is expected to peak sometime between Saturday and Sunday.

It is known to produce more than 150 meteors per hour at its peak, although light pollution and other factors mean that the actual number of visible meteors in reality is generally far lower.

The Geminids descend from a rocky asteroid called 3200 Phaethon with a comet-like orbit and were first observed in 1862.

The meteors, small pieces of interplanetary debris, appear to radiate from near the bright star Castor in the constellation Gemini.

Dr. Minjae Kim, a physics researcher at the University of Warwick, said: “The Geminids are one of the most spectacular meteor showers of the year.

“They are fascinating because they are one of the few large meteor showers associated with an asteroid, 3200 Phaethon, rather than a comet.

“Observationally it is quite fascinating as they consistently produce impressive meteor showers, with over 120 per hour under ideal conditions, making them one of the most beautiful meteor showers visible from the northern sky alongside the Perseids in August.”

“The stream’s orbit is also unique, as when it is closest to the sun it moves slightly outside its parent body.”

According to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, meteors from the Geminid meteor shower are very bright, moderately fast and unusually colorful – mostly white, with some yellow and some greens, reds and blues.

These colors are caused in part by the presence of trace amounts of metals such as sodium and calcium, the same effect used to color fireworks.