The annual Eta Aquarid meteor shower will take place on Wednesday morning as Halley's Comet streaks across the sky dropping debris as she goes.
This year's Eta Aquarid (so named because it appears the pieces travel from the direction of the constellation Aquarius) will take place on Wednesday, May 6. The shower will be at its peak at 9 a.m. EDT with meteor rates of 30 per hour. However, the shower's spectacle will be a bit hampered by the moon, according to NASA's "Watch the Skies" blog. "Eta Aquarids zoom around the solar system at speeds near 148,000 mph," wrote Bill Cooke, lead at NASA's Meteoroid Environmental Office. "Unfortunately for meteor shower observing enthusiasts the moon will ... (reduce) the peak rate to under 20 meteors per hour."
According to Cooke, the "best viewing is just before dawn on May 6."
Called "a messenger from the dawn of the universe," by NASA, Halley will litter pieces of the icy comet that will burn up in the Earth's atmosphere, creating a show for those on Earth. Comet Halley is only visible once every 76 years - your next chance is 2061, according to NASA - but every spring, the comet lets us know we aren't forgotten by this spring show.
For more information about the comet and the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, check out this video from NASA:
