meteor
© NavicoreLeonid shower: Photographed in the USA.

Leonids meteor shower reaches its peak amid reports of bright objects hurtling through the skies at night.

Scots have been getting the chance to spot meteors in the night sky, with a number of reports of bright objects passing over the country overnight.

There were reports from Glasgow, Perthshire and Sutherland of a bright light crossing the sky in the early hours of Monday morning which appeared to break up into smaller streaks of light.

The sightings come as the annual Leonids meteor shower reaches its peak. The annual phenomenon is expected to be at its most intense on November 17 and 18, although meteors can frequently be seen several days before and after.

The Leonids are one of the most spectacular of the annual meteor showers, and can produce around 40 meteors an hour, which seem to originate from the constellation of Leo.

STV weather presenter Sean Batty said: "We see several showers throughout the year as the earth passes through fragments of ice and dust left in the wake of passing comets. As these pieces of ice, dust and rock hit our atmosphere most are burned up although one or two can make it to the ground."

In August, the annual Perseid Meteor Shower reached its peak, with Scotland proving one of the best places to watch the skies, an early-setting moon meant that the traces of faint meteors crossing the sky could be seen clearly.

Sean Batty said: "The best places to see it this evening will be across central and southern areas of Scotland before cloud moves in later tonight. In the north there will be quite a bit of cloud this evening although this should disperse into the early hours.

"The Western Isles should have a good view of it."

He added: "The meteors will be more visible in areas far from streetlight and other artificial sources of illumination, so areas of the country away from towns and cities may have an advantage."

The best time to see any possible meteors will be in the early hours of the morning.