Meteor Shower from Halley's Comet Peaks Friday

It has been 25 years since Halley's Comet last passed through the inner solar system, but an annual meteor shower keeps the icy wanderer's legacy on Earth alive this week. The orbit of Halley's Comet closely approaches the Earth's orbit at two places, creating a rain of striking meteors for skywatchers during both instances. One point is in the middle to latter part of October, producing a meteor display known as the Orionids. The other point comes now, in early May, producing the annual Eta Aquarids meteor shower.

The Eta Aquarid meteor shower is predicted to peak early Friday morning (May 6). Under ideal conditions (a dark, moonless sky) about 30 to 60 of these very swift meteors can be seen per hour. And with a new moon on May 3 this is one of those years when observing conditions will be perfect. The shower appears at about one-quarter peak strength for about three or four days before and after May 6.

Quadrantids Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight

The 2011 Quadranitds—which peak tonight—are slated to be one of the best meteor showers of the year. During the peak, around 1 a.m. UT on Tuesday, upward of a hundred shooting stars an hour may be visible in dark, rural areas, astronomers estimate. The Quadrantids will be best viewed in Europe and Central Asia. North American observers will see the trailing end of the peak in the wee hours of Tuesday morning.

The Quadrantids are considered one of the most reliable and productive of the annual meteor displays, Jung said, but they're not as well known for two reasons: their brevity and their awkward timing in the calendar year. While the Quadrantids' hourly rates are estimated to range anywhere from 60 to 130 meteors, the shower lasts for a period of just two to four hours—so timing your observations is essential, Jung said.

Geminid Meteor Shower Expects Dazzling Display

Stargazers who stay up late tonight will see what NASA describes as the best meteor shower of the year. The Geminid meteor shower is comprised of debris from 3200 Phaethon, an extinct comet that was once thought to be an asteroid, The Associated Press reported. When the earth passes through this debris stream, the meteors, or shooting stars, seem to fall from the Gemini constellation.

"Of all the debris streams Earth passes through every year, the Geminids' is by far the most massive," astronomer Bill Cooke said. "When we add up the amount of dust in the Geminid stream, it outweighs other streams by factors of 5 to 500." According to PC Magazine, the 2010 Geminids promises to fill the night sky with 50 to 120 shooting star sightings per hour. Although the shower will be visible from almost any point on Earth until Dec. 16, the best views will be seen in the Northern Hemisphere between midnight and sunrise early Tuesday.

Best Time to See the Leonid Meteor Shower

The Leonid meteor shower of 2010 is peaking this week and the best time to see the sky show is now. The annual Leonids should be at their best through Nov. 18, according to skywatching experts. Avid meteor gazers graced with clear skies may see between 15 and 20 meteors per hour.

Skywatchers should look toward the constellation Leo in the eastern sky to see "shooting stars" from the Leonids, which appear to radiate out of the constellation. The best time to try to see the Leonids are in the last two or three hours before sunrise, when the moon has set.

Halley's Meteors Streak Past

Watch the skies this week and you could see a piece of Halley's comet, even though it won't be passing Earth until 2061. As the comet travels on its 76-year trip around the sun, it leaves small pieces of itself behind. These meteoroids of dust and ice, travelling at over 237,000 kilometres per hour, collide with the Earth's atmosphere as it crosses the comet's orbit in early May and mid-October.

October's meteors appear to come from the direction of the constellation of Orion and earn it the name of the Orionid meteor shower. Last year, NASA recorded 43 Orionid meteors, most of which burned up more than 96 kilometres above the ground. The shower peaks tomorrow and is best viewed in a clear, dark sky after 11 pm in your local time, when the sky will be at its darkest.

Perseid Meteor Shower Reaches Second Day

Skywatchers have enjoyed another night of "fantastic views" as the annual Perseid meteor shower reached the second day of its peak. The shower was expected to produce a display of up to 80 meteors per hour, according to NASA.

"A waxing crescent moon will set before the shower becomes active, setting a perfect stage for meteor watching," said the US space agency. Space enthusiasts in the UK and US have already captured images of the show.