Stargazers will be treated to a meteor shower overnight Monday, as Earth passes through the debris trail left by Halley’s Comet.
Fleeting comet particles -- moving at about 66 kilometres per second -- burn up in Earth’s atmosphere to create the Eta Aquarids meteor shower, which occurs every spring.
The meteor shower began in late April and will last until late May, but this year, the shower will peak at around 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. ET on May 6.
NASA scientists say viewers in the Northern Hemisphere can expect to see approximately 30 meteors per hour, while observers in the Southern Hemisphere will see up to 60 meteors per hour.
And the first-quarter moon will set just after midnight, helping to darken the skies, according to NASA.
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Centre in Huntsville, Ala., will offer an online live feed at 8:30 p.m. EDT.
The space agency advises stargazers to find a viewing area away from the city and street lights.
“Come prepared with a sleeping bag, blanket or lawn chair. Lie flat on your back with your feet facing east and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible,” NASA writes on its website. “After about 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will begin to see meteors.”
Comet Halley takes about 76 years to orbit the sun, and every time it returns to Earth’s inner solar system, it sheds a layer of ice and rock, which eventually become the Eta Aquarids in May.
