Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower Peaks This Week, but Moonlight Will Mute the Show

The Eta Aquarid meteor shower, born from the dust of Halley’s Comet, peaks before dawn on May 5 and 6, but a bright waning gibbous moon is set to wash out many of the fainter streaks this year. Skywatchers hoping for the shower’s typical rate of up to 50 meteors per hour under ideal conditions will likely see a fraction of that count, with only the brightest fireballs cutting through the lunar glare.

The shower is one of two annual encounters Earth has with debris shed by Halley’s Comet, the other being October’s Orionids.