Malta’s skies are set to put on a double spectacle tonight, with a partial solar eclipse followed just hours later by the peak of the Perseid meteor shower.The partial eclipse will be visible from Malta between 7:41pm and 7:55pm, reaching its maximum at around 7:52pm, when approximately 12% of the Sun will be covered by the Moon.Then, once darkness sets in, attention will turn to the Perseids, locally known as Dmugħ ta’ San Lawrenz, which are expected to reach their peak overnight.This year’s meteor shower coincides with a new moon, meaning darker skies and better conditions for spotting shooting stars.Under ideal conditions, the Perseids can produce around 100 meteors per hour, although observers in Malta can expect around 30 to 50 per hour.The best time to watch the meteor shower will be between midnight and dawn, with darker areas away from artificial lighting offering the best chance of catching the spectacle.And while Malta will only get a partial eclipse this evening, there’s a much bigger one to look forward to: on 2nd August 2027, around 97% of the Sun’s disc is expected to be covered from Malta.Who’s staying up to catch the shooting stars tonight?•