Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight

This photograph of Halley’s Comet was taken Jan. 13, 1986, by James W. Young, resident astronomer of JPL’s Table Mountain Observatory in the San Bernardino Mountains, using a 24-inch reflective telescope. Debris from Halley’s Comet produces the Eta Aquarids meteor shower each May. (PHOTO CREDIT: NASA/JPL)

When asked to name a comet, most people will remember Halley’s. Tonight (May 5), the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, produced by debris from Halley’s Comet, will peak in the night sky, and you can watch live coverage of this Cinco de Mayo meteor shower online.

Late tonight (May 5) and during the early morning hours tomorrow (May 6), skywatchers will have a chance of sighting a few pieces of Halley’s Comet – “comet litter,” if you will – zipping through our atmosphere in the form of meteors. The online Slooh community observatory will host a free webcast of the shower starting at 8 p.m. EDT (0000 GMT) that will stream live at: http://www.slooh.com.

You can also watch the Eta Aquarid webcast live on Space.com, courtesy of Slooh.

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SOURCE: Space.com, Joe Rao