New Delhi, Aug 11 - Sky gazers across the country can expect to see some celestial fireworks at night on Tuesday and Wednesday as the night sky will be lit up by the annual Perseid meteor shower.

The Perseid meteor will appear to originate in the northeastern sky, near the constellation Perseus, and shoot off in all directions.

The meteor shower is expected to peak on Tuesday and Wednesday night, when about 30 to 200 shooting stars would be visible every hour.

'People can watch for the meteor showers during the early hours Wednesday. There will be fireballs in the sky,' N. Rathnasree, director Nehru Planetarium, told IANS.

The Perseid meteor shower is caused when the earth passes close to the orbit of the comet Swift-Tuttle. The comet was discovered in 1862 and takes some 130 years to circle our solar system.

'A meteor is commonly called a shooting star. These shooting stars can be seen on any night, but when the number of meteors is large, it is called a meteor shower,' Rathnashree said.

Meteor showers occur when earth crosses the cometary orbit.