- The annual celestial event culminates on May 4 and 5
- Some may see more than 30 shooting stars per hour this weekend
- READ MORE: Watch the solar eclipse from space
The Eta Aquarid meteor shower is in full swing and will give excited stargazers a dazzling show this weekend.
The annual cosmic event is expected to peak this Saturday evening from May 4 to early Sunday, producing up to 50 ‘shooting stars’ per hour.
Experts have recommended that the best time to glimpse the phenomenon – which will be visible around the world – should be between midnight and sunrise.
The Eta Aquarid meteor shower can be seen in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, but the view is clearer in the southern part of the globe, where the constellation Aquarius is higher in the sky.
The annual cosmic event is expected to peak this Saturday evening from May 4 to early Sunday, producing up to 50 ‘shooting stars’ per hour.
“The Eta Aquarids are pieces of debris from Halley’s Comet, a well-known comet that is visible from Earth approximately every 76 years,” NASA said in a statement.
‘This comet, also known as 1P/Halley, was last seen from Earth in 1986 and will not be visible again until mid-2061.’
While this weekend should be one of the best times to watch the meteors burn as they hit our atmosphere, this year the Eta Aquarids will be active from April 15 to May 27.
The visibility of the shooting stars can be affected by how full and bright the moon is in the night sky.
Fortunately, the moon is waning and will be a speck in the sky by the time the meteor shower intensifies.
Anyone who wants to get an especially clear view of meteoroids hitting our atmosphere and dissolving in a spectacular fiery show should look to the southeast, the Farmer’s Almanac suggested.
If it was not possible to see the peak of the shower around May 5, visibility of the shower remains clearly visible until May 10.
Experts have recommended that the best time to glimpse the phenomenon – which will be visible around the world – should be between midnight and sunrise.
The ‘shooting stars’ often leave a trail of glowing trains in the night sky that can last from a few seconds to several minutes.
According to NASA, to watch the shower, you should “get a comfortable chair” and be prepared to sit outside for hours — but you don’t need binoculars or a telescope.
“To view the Eta Aquarids, find an area away from city or street lights,” the US space agency said.
‘Come prepared with a sleeping bag, blanket or garden chair.
‘Lie flat on your back with your feet facing east and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible.
‘After about 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes adjust and you start to see meteors.
“Be patient, the show lasts until sunrise, so you’ll have plenty of time to catch a glimpse.”
Meteors, also called shooting stars, come from leftover comet particles and pieces of broken asteroids.
As comets pass around the sun, the dust they emit gradually spreads in a dusty trail around their orbits.
Every year the Earth passes through these debris trails, allowing the pieces to collide with our atmosphere, where they break up and create fiery and colorful streaks in the sky.
However, the events will not pose a threat to humans, as the objects almost always burn up in our atmosphere before reaching the planet’s surface.