Before May's Full Flower Moon blooms, the sky is putting on a different kind of light show. This one, the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, has been active since April 19, but is set to reach its peak before dawn on Saturday, May 6.
The Eta Aquarid shower comes courtesy of Halley's Comet, which also produces October's Orionids meteor shower. The meteor showers occur when Earth crosses the comet's orbital path. The comet's debris is what lights up the sky above us with anywhere between 10 and 60 meteors streaming through the air every hour.
The shower's name comes from the Eta Aquarii star, a part of the constellation Aquarius the Water Beaver, where the meteors appear to originate.
According to EarthSky, those in the Southern hemisphere get the best views of the Eta Aquariids, but those in southern regions of the Northern hemisphere have a shot at great views, too. To better your chances at a clear view, give yourself time to adjust to the dark. EarthSky advises slotting in at least 20 extra minutes for your eyes to get used to it.
When planning for this weekend, you have two options: Turn your Friday festivities into an all-nighter and catch the show before hitting the hay, or wake up extra early on Saturday to have your coffee with a side of meteors. Either choice sounds pretty great to us.
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