Eta Aquariids meteor shower: Sky to light up with flashes tonight as Earth passes through leftovers of Halley's Comet

The Eta Aquariids are about to reach their peak, as the sky is lit up by leftovers from Halley's Comet. The meteor shower runs from late April until May, but peaks around the first week of the month, meaning that they should be especially visible in the coming days. A meteor streaks across the night sky during the Geminid shower over Murat Mountains in Gediz district on Dec. 14, 2017. The Milky Way is seen during the Perseid meteor shower that reached its peak on Aug. 12 and 13, 2015, at Llanddwyn Island. Stars seen as streaks from a long camera exposure during the Perseid meteor shower on Aug. 12, 2015. A Perseid meteor streaks across the sky over the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area on Aug. 12, 2015. The show will be best viewed in the southern hemisphere, since the constellation from which they emerge is higher up in the sky and therefore any meteors are more easily spotted. That may be complicated by coronavirus lockdowns and social distancing, and any trips should only be made if they are recommended. As those leftovers collide with the Earth's atmopshere, they break up create blazing lights in the sky. The debris that create the Eta Aquariids originally came from Halley's Comet. When it makes its regular trips into the solar system – each orbit takes around 76 years – it leaves behind new debris, and the leftovers from the same comet also lead to the Orionids in October.