The annual Perseid meteor shower is turning out to be particularly dazzling this year, as the waning crescent moon means the night sky is dark. The annual shooting star display peaks between 11 and 14 August, with most meteors visible between midnight and dawn. The shower produces between 50 and 100 meteors per hour.

Photographing meteor showers can be tricky. You'll need a camera with a long exposure setting, a tripod, somewhere far away from light pollution – and quite a bit of luck. Set your camera to a lens speed of f/2.8 or less and an exposure length of 15 to 30 seconds, and aim it towards the constellation of Perseus in the north east. Then just keep clicking (or, if your camera allows it, set it to automatically take a picture every minute or so). More detailed instructions can be found here.

If you do manage to photograph any meteors, we'd love to see them. Email them to photo@ibtimes.co.uk. To give you a bit of inspiration, here are some of pictures captured by professional photographers over the last few years.