The peak of the Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower will take place in the early hours of Monday morning. The shower is the remnants of dust and debris associated with the Halley’s Comet.

 

Though Comet Halley is a periodic comet far from us and not expected back until 2062, its dust trail continues to follow its orbit around the Sun. Every year at this time, the Earth gets close enough for a meteor shower.

 

Meteors are little pieces of space debris that enter our atmosphere at great speed and burn up. From year to year, the number of meteors seen in an hour of viewing will vary. We’ve read that seeing 20 meteors in an hour during this shower is generous.

 

When outdoors, look towards the east. You can see a meteor just about anywhere in the sky, and these meteors will appear to come from one place in the east, the constellation Aquarius, hence its name.

Ancient astronomers thought the meteors came specifically from that spot in the sky. We now know that the meteors are actually caught in the orbit of a celebrated comet.