A lesser known meteor shower called the Eta Aquarids can be seen during the first week of May each year. The Eta Aquarids usually peak on May 5th and the 6th and produce 15 to 20 meteors per hour in a moonless sky. However, this year the moon will be entering its last quarter during the same time frame and may diminish meteor counts.
An interesting aspect to the Eta Aquarids is that they are caused by debris from Halley's Comet. The next closest approach to Earth by Halley's Comet will be in July 2061, when it will be about 0.48 AU, or about half as much as the distance the Earth is from the Sun. But next week, you will still get to see tiny specks of dust an ice from the famous Halley's Comet as they burn up as they come screaming into the Earth's atmosphere. The debris from Halley's comet does come in a high velocity and these meteors leave bright streaks in the nighttime sky, along with smoke trails.
For the best chance to see any of these meteors, look to the east towards the constellation Aquarius several hours before sunrise. You can start looking starting on the morning of the 4th, until the morning of the 7th. Since this meteor shower has a very broad peak you have the chance of seeing a meteor up to a week or two before or after the peak, which is on May 6th.
If you happen to live in the Southern Hemisphere, you can expect much higher hourly meteor counts, up to 50 per hour.
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