The Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower is expected to reach its peak early on Saturday, 6 May.
You can see 120-160 shooting star per hour if you camp out.
Eta Aquariids are formed when Earth passes through debris left by Comet Halley.
You can find out everything you need to Know.
When will the Eta Aquariids Meteor Shower occur this year?
Royal Museums Greenwich reports that the meteor shower will be active from 19 April to 28 May, but its peak is between midnight and dawn of 6 May.
Bill Cooke, NASA’s Meteoroid Environments Office lead at the Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama said: “A Meteor Shower is like a rain shower with 50-60 meteors an hour.
A meteor storm is similar to a thunderstorm. It will have a higher than usual activity of meteors. “A meteor storm is similar to a tornado where the meteor rates exceed one thousand per minute.”
What is the origin of Eta Aquariids?
Eta Aquariids are known for their speed and peak in early May.
Eta Aquariid takes its name from the constellation that appears to radiate out of it – Aquarius.
Eta Aquarii is the star that gives the shower its name, not the Aquarid.
Eta Aquariid, one of the two meteor showers that are created by the debris from Comet Halley.
Halley’s Comet can be seen from Earth about once every 76 to 77 years.
NASA’s website states that “the pieces of space debris which interact with our atmosphere and create Eta Aquarids are derived from comet 1P/Halley.”
Edmund Halley, an English astronomer, discovered the comet Halley for the first time in 1705.
He predicted the orbit by observing comets in the past, suggesting they were all the same comet.
Halley, the most famous of all comets, was last observed in 1986.
Nasa has said that it will return to the Sun in 2061, after its 76-year regular journey.
Where can I watch it in the UK
Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower can be seen in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. However, NASA says that visibility is best in the Southern Hemisphere.
This is because the radiant is located in the constellation Aquarius. NASA stated that meteors can be observed after midnight but at their peak between 3-4am until dawn.
According to the Royal Museums Greenwich’s website, “This shower will favour the Southern Hemisphere. It will appear low for northern latitudes such as the UK in the predawn hour.”
Here’s how to get the best views:
Check the weather forecast before you go! Try a different day if it’s cloudy.
Met Office said that Friday would be a sunny day with showers.
The UK will see another wet and cloudy day on Saturday.
Prepare in advance to see the Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower.
NASA also advises people to:
The best way to see the meteor shower is as far as you can get away from the city lights.
Allow your eyes 30 minutes to adjust by letting them adapt in darkness.
Stay away from light when using your phone.
* Do not look at the Moon.
Last but not least: Get comfortable! The best way to observe the stars is to lie down.
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What exactly is a meteorshower?
A shower is simply a space rock entering the Earth’s atmosphere.
As the space rock falls towards Earth, the drag or resistance of the air on it makes it extremely warm. We see a shooting star.
NASA says that the bright streaks are not the actual rock but the glowing hot air created as the hot rock zips by the atmosphere.
It adds: “When Earth encounters a large number of meteoroids all at once, it is called a meteor show.”
Some meteor showers from the past
