Eta Aquarids meteor shower peaks soon. When, where to get the best views

In the early morning hours of May 5-6, the Eta Aquarids meteor shower is expected to peak, giving stargazers the chance to see a number of shooting stars.

The Eta Aquarids meteors are renowned for their speed. They enter Earth’s atmosphere at about 40.7 miles per second, leaving "trains" – glowing pieces of debris in the meteor’s wake – that linger for several seconds, according to NASA.

Under clear skies, the Eta Aquarids can produce a maximum rate of about 50 shooting stars per hour, according to the American Meteor Society.

Here’s where and when to get the best views of the Eta Aquarids meteor shower.

Where to view the Eta Aquarids meteor shower

The shower’s radiant, the point in the sky from which Eta Aquarids meteors appear to originate, is located in the constellation Aquarius. For the best views, look toward the east during the pre-dawn hours of May 5-6, when the shower is predicted to peak.

Stargazers should still be able to see some meteors until around May 21, although they will not be as bright after the peak, according to NASA.

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Where do the Eta Aquarids come from?

The constellation from which meteors appear to originate gives a meteor shower its name. The Eta Aquarids appear near the constellation Aquarius when viewed from Earth.

The parent comet of the Eta Aquarids meteor shower is the famous Halley’s Comet, according to EarthSky. Halley’s Comet typically completes one orbit around the Sun every 76 years. As a result, when Earth passes through the comet’s orbit, the comet itself is very far away.

There are more meteor showers to come this year

A number of significant meteor shower events are expected to this year, offering great opportunities to see more meteors (shooting stars). According to the American Meteor Society and other sources, the most notable upcoming events include:

CONTRIBUTING Mary Walrath-Holdridge and Eric Lagatta/USA TODAY