Eta Aquariids Meteor Shower to Peak Early May—What You Need to Know

A meteor shoots across the sky. Shutterstock/Sofoklo

Look closely at this predawn springtime scene: shooting stars sputtering over a southerly horizon on a dark, moonless night in early May.

This picture of shooting stars appears annually when the Eta Aquariid meteor shower—literally the cosmic dust shed by Halley’s Comet—collides with Earth as it orbits the sun. The Eta Aquariids’ peak period doesn’t always coincide with moonless nights, but fortunately for meteor viewers, this year’s will.