Eta Aquarid meteor shower, debris of Halley's comet, peaks this weekend

The Eta Aquarid meteor shower, remnants of Halley's comet, peaks this weekend.

Normally, the Earth passes close to the orbit of Halley's comet in May and October each year, creating the Eta Aquarid meteor shower in May and the Orionid meteor shower in October. The Eta Aquarid meteor shower is usually active between April 19 and May 28, said Xiu Lipeng, a member of the Chinese Astronomical Society.

This year's peak activity happens early Sunday, with an expected 10 to 30 meteors visible per hour in the Northern Hemisphere. Viewing should be even better in the Southern Hemisphere. The shower lasts through May 27.

Multiple meteor showers occur annually, and you don't need special equipment to see them. Most meteor showers originate from the debris of comets. The source of the Eta Aquarids is Halley's comet.

When rocks from space enter Earth's atmosphere, the resistance from the air makes them very hot. This causes the air to glow around them and briefly leaves a fiery tail behind them – the end of a "shooting star."

The glowing pockets of air around fast-moving space rocks, ranging from the size of a dust particle to a boulder, may be visible in the night sky.

How to view a meteor shower

Meteor showers are usually most visible between midnight and predawn hours. It's easier to see shooting stars under dark skies, away from city lights. Meteor showers also appear brightest on cloudless nights when the moon wanes to its smallest appearance.

"The best way to observe meteor showers is to avoid the influence of moonlight," said Xiu. "Fortunately, during the peak of this year's Eta Aquarid meteor shower, the moon phase is waning, which has little effect on observations."

Xiu said that, compared to a two- to three-hour observation window in the Northern Hemisphere, the Eta Aquarid meteor shower is visible longer in the Southern Hemisphere.

"Observations can be made in the Southern Hemisphere about four hours before dawn," Xiu said.

(With input from AP)