by Up to 50 "shooting stars" per hour may be visible in moonless skies as the Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks Saturday and Sunday (May 4 and 5).
The annual shower is linked to debris from Halley's comet.
The Eta Aquarids move at a swift 40.7 miles per second (65.5 kilometers per second), and there are typically between 10 and 30 visible each hour during the peak night.
Fast meteors can leave glowing "trains" that last several seconds to minutes, according to NASA. The Eta Aquarid meteors appear to emanate from the constellation Aquarius, which is where they got their name.
This constellation is higher in the sky in the Southern Hemisphere than in the Northern Hemisphere, so "Earthgrazers" — meteors that skim the horizon — are likely to be seen north of the equator.
Source
The annual shower is linked to debris from Halley's comet.
The Eta Aquarids move at a swift 40.7 miles per second (65.5 kilometers per second), and there are typically between 10 and 30 visible each hour during the peak night.
Fast meteors can leave glowing "trains" that last several seconds to minutes, according to NASA. The Eta Aquarid meteors appear to emanate from the constellation Aquarius, which is where they got their name.
This constellation is higher in the sky in the Southern Hemisphere than in the Northern Hemisphere, so "Earthgrazers" — meteors that skim the horizon — are likely to be seen north of the equator.
Source
