The Eta Aquarid meteor shower will peak this weekend. Here's how to witness the celestial event.
- This weekend, the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, which is made up of debris from Halley's comet, will peak. With a waning crescent moon in the sky, it should be visible.
- Every year in early May, the Eta Aquarids meteor shower peaks, with approximately 10 to 30 meteors per hour visible on early Sunday.
- Meteor showers are events where multiple meteoroids enter Earth’s atmosphere.
This weekend, the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, which is made up of debris from Halley's comet, will peak. With a waning crescent moon in the sky, it should be visible.
The Eta Aquarids occur every year in early May.
The Northern Hemisphere can expect to see 10 to 30 meteors per hour during the peak activity of this year's meteor shower on early Sunday. The Southern Hemisphere may have an even better viewing experience. The shower will continue until May 27.
Information about the Eta Aquarids and other meteor showers is important to know.
What is a meteor shower?
Numerous meteor showers take place each year and you don't require any special apparatus to observe them.
Halley's comet is the source of the Eta Aquarids meteor shower.
As rocks from outer space enter Earth's atmosphere, the air's resistance heats them up, causing the air to emit light and leaving a short-lived fiery trail behind them, marking the end of a "shooting star."
Fast-moving space rocks ranging from a dust particle to a boulder may have glowing pockets of air visible in the night sky.
How to view a meteor shower
Meteor showers are usually most visible between midnight and predawn hours.
Under cloudless nights, when the moon wanes smallest, meteor showers appear brightest, and shooting stars are easier to see away from city lights.
The American Meteor Society states that while the Southern Hemisphere will have the best view of Eta Aquarids, a waning moon just 14% full will enable clear viewing in both hemispheres.
When is the next meteor shower?
The society of meteors maintains a current record of impending significant meteor showers, including the peak days for observation and the state of the moonlight.
The Southern Delta Aquarid meteor shower, peaking in late July, is the next big one.
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