century.

They are forecasting that the annual Perseid meteor shower will turn into a storm reaching a peak tomorrow night.

Whether it is spectacular in Bermudian skies remains to be seen but thousands of people will be looking up over the next two evenings.

Scientists in the United States believe it will be the fourth meteor storm this century. The previous ones were in Europe in 1933 and North America in 1946 and 1966.

The phenomenon is caused by the Earth's orbit taking it through debris left by a comet's tail. The thicker the tail the more spectacular the storm.

Initial reports were that the storm would happen this evening but astronomers now believe it will reach a peak at 10 p.m. tomorrow, give or take a couple of hours.

Vice-President of the Bermuda Astronomical Society Mr. Eddie McGonagle expects the best time to watch to be after midnight.

But he said: "People must be patient. Theoretically if it meets the expectations of astronomers it will be spectacular. They are forecasting a good year but there is a big `if' there.

"There is no way you can make a prediction. Meteors always appear at this time of year and at any time it could be spectacular.'' Mr. McGonagle said shooting star sightings are normally doubled during the Perseid period to about seven or eight per hour.

But he added that in some areas in the United States 50 or 60 meteors had been seen during an hour.

Although the best time to see the display should be 10 p.m., Mr. McGonagle has suggested people give a few hours leeway before and after.

He said: "I was expecting it to be on the 11th (today), but all the predictions are saying the 12th at 10 p.m. I believe the best time will be around midnight when there is the maximum conglomeration coming at us.

"The best place to watch is anywhere very dark, places without street lighting or any other form of illumination.

"If it occurs people should be able to see in the skies to the north east of Bermuda, to the east of the Big Dipper and the North Star.

"I must stress that people have to be patient. It is no good waiting for five minutes around 10 p.m. and then giving up.'' Mr. Allan Dyer, assistant editor of Astronomy Magazine in the US, said the reason for the great expectations was that the annual Perseid meteor shower is taking place under special conditions this year that could turn it into a meteor storm, with shooting stars passing through the night sky every few seconds.

That is because last year, for the first time since 1862, the Perseid's parent comet, the Swift-Tuttle, passed by Earth.

Mr. Dyer said: "The comet left a fresh and dense cloud of dusty debris in its wake. On the night of August 11-12, Earth will cross the densest part of this new stream of dust, perhaps creating an awe-inspiring display better than any Perseid meteor shower we have ever seen and are likely to see again in our lifetime.'' Last month it put off a space shuttle mission to avoid having Discovery in orbit during what might be one of the most spectacular meteor storms in history.

Not every astronomer, however, is predicting a spectacular show. The experts at Britain's Royal Astronomical Society say Earth won't really encounter the majority of Comet Swift-Tuttle's debris for at least a year.