WAKING up at an absurdly early hour on Sunday morning will be a small price to pay to see the Orionid meteor shower.

Of all the annual showers that decorate our night skies, the Orionids have the distinction of being near the top of NASA's most beautiful list, thanks to its lucky placement among some of the most brilliant stars visible to the human eye.

The shooting stars are created by debris from Halley's Comet.

This is the most famous comet on the astronomical calendar because it's visible to the naked eye and also because it can be seen twice in a human lifetime thanks to its appearance in our skies every 74 to 79 years.

When can you see the shower?

This year the shower - which happens from October 2 to November 7 - will peak on Saturday, into the early hours of Sunday.

Between this time the showers will be at their brightest and most visible.

Viewers can expect to spot between 15 and 30 meteors every hour. In some years, as many as 80 meteors an hour have been visible.

What is the best time to see the shower?

The best time to see the shower is after midnight.

It's recommended to go outside around 1.30am and let your eyes adjust to the dark for around 20 minutes.

You won't need binoculars or a telescope to view the shower. It will be visible to the naked eye.

But it is recommended to go somewhere where there is no light pollution from the glow of towns and cities.

Although the meteors can appear in any part of the sky, they seem to come from the constellation of Orion, hence their name.