Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower 2017: What Is It, How And When To See It

This year you have a few chances to catch some cosmic entertainment. The Lyrids meteor shower happened at the end of April, and in August there will be a total solar eclipse. But your next opportunity to see the galaxy at work will be in the early hours of Saturday.

The Eta Aquarid meteor shower is making an appearance to kick off the first weekend in May. If you’re somewhere where the skies are clear during the early morning hours, you may be able to spot a few meteors.

Read: Total Solar Eclipse August 2017: What It Is, How And Where To See It

There will be up to 30 visible meteors per hour, Bill Cooke of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office told Space.com. The Eta Aquarid meteors occur when Earth crosses the path left by Halley’s Comet, the famous comet that returns every 76 years or so.

What are meteors?

Meteors are commonly referred to as shooting stars. They’re essentially space rocks of various sizes that enter Earth’s atmosphere and burn up as they go, giving off energy, sometimes creating a streak of light. If a meteor makes it to the ground, it’s called a meteorite.

The Eta Aquarid meteor shower happens every year between April 22 and May 20, Cooke told Space.com. While you may see some meteors any time during this monthlong span, the best day for viewing will be May 6. This particular meteor shower is the result of particles that came off Halley’s Comet. When Earth enters a specific part of its orbit, it passes through those leftover particles and they burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. This is also how the Orionids meteor shower in October is generated.

The name of each meteor shower comes from the star in the sky from which they visually seem to originate. So the Aquarid shower appears to originate from the Aquarius constellation, and the Orionids appear to originate from Orion. These meteors don’t actually come from those particular constellations, they just look like they do. This is just so people looking for the shower can use a star or constellation to orient themselves in the sky and know where to look.

When and where can you see the Aquarid meteor shower:

If you’re in the southern hemisphere, you automatically have a better chance of seeing the shower. If you’re in the northern hemisphere, your chances are better the closer you are to the equator. But no matter where you are, Cooke advises lying flat on your back and looking up at the sky to give yourself the widest view, Space.com said. If you can, try to get to the countryside, somewhere with little light pollution. The moon will not yet be full, but it’ll still be giving off light that may make the meteors a bit more difficult to see.