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Eta Aquariid meteor shower peaks this weekend

This will be the first decent meteor shower since January.

NBC Universal, Inc.

Sky gazers, get ready!

The peak of the Eta Aquariid meteor shower comes the first weekend of May.

On the night of the 4th into the 5th, up to 50 meteors per hour can be seen under optimal conditions - away from light pollution and after your eyes have adjusted to the darkness.

Meteors in this particular shower are produced from the dust cloud of Halley's comet.

A meteor shower reaches its peak when Earth moves through the area of the most dense comet debris.

Although the radiant point (the area that the meteors seem to originate from) doesn't rise until early Sunday morning, you may be able to see meteors at any time Saturday evening.

The radiant point is in the constellation Aquarius, which rises in the eastern predawn sky.

The Eta Aquariid has been active since mid-April and will continue through the end of May. So you may see "shooting stars" before and even a few weeks after the peak night.

Anytime you see something in the night sky, please share it with us!

We love hearing from you and seeing what's happening from your point of view.

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