Rare meteor 'outburst' expected Thursday

BNorthern Hemisphere sky-gazers are in for a special treat on Thursday night with a rare shooting star "outburst", which astronomers hope will not be marred by clouds and a bright moon.

For about an hour around 7 am Friday in Beijing, there will be more than double the usual fireball activity associated with the annual Perseid meteor shower.

"There will be 200 or maybe as many as 300 (shooting stars) per hour," observed from a very dark site, said astronomer Mark Bailey of the Armagh Observatory in Northern Ireland.