Stargazers will be in for a treat tonight as shooting stars will graze the night sky.
The shooting stars set to spark up the darkness come from none other than Halley’s Comet, creating what’s known as Eta Aquarids meteor shower. During its peak tonight, the Eta Aquarids meteor show will be visible into Wednesday morning with an average of 40-60 meteors per hour for those south of the equator. However, similar to the rates of the Lyrids meteor shower, those in the northern hemisphere will see about 10-30 meteors per hour, accordant to the American Meteor Society.
As long as the weather cooperates, the best viewing time, regardless of location, will be right after 2 a.m. on May 5.
Toward the start of May, Earth passes through debris left from Halley’s comet. The debris left behind, on average, are no bigger than a grain of sand. These showers will be the closest things stargazers will get to see the actual Halley’s Comet until 2061.
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