100 times faster than a fighter jet, burning up in seconds
Each spring, Earth passes through a trail of ancient debris left behind by Halley's Comet, and this weekend that encounter reaches its peak. The Eta Aquarid meteor shower, active since late April, offers skywatchers a rare and humbling reminder that the night sky is not static — it is a living archive of celestial history. These fragments, shed by a comet that last visited in 1986 and won't return until 2061, burn through the atmosphere at 148,000 miles per hour, briefly visible as streaks of light before vanishing entirely.
- Fragments of Halley's Comet are striking Earth's atmosphere this weekend at 148,000 mph — the peak of one of the year's most anticipated meteor showers.
- Northern Hemisphere viewers face a narrow, frustrating window: the radiant sits low on the eastern horizon, limiting prime viewing to just a few hours before sunrise.
- Light pollution, weather, and geography will prevent many from seeing the theoretical peak of 55 meteors per hour — most observers will count far fewer.
- Live streams from the Subaru Telescope on Mauna Kea offer an accessible alternative for those shut out by clouds or city skies.
- The shower will continue through May 28, but the peak on May 5–6 represents the best — and most fleeting — opportunity to witness comet debris that has drifted through space for centuries.
If you wake before dawn this weekend and find a dark patch of sky, you might catch something rare: pieces of Halley's Comet burning through the upper atmosphere at speeds that make a fighter jet look stationary.
The Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks Friday and Saturday, May 5 and 6, offering one of the year's best chances to see debris from the most famous comet in human history. The shower runs April 19 through May 28, but the peak is when activity is highest — up to 55 meteors per hour under perfect conditions, though most observers will see fewer.
For Northern Hemisphere viewers, the challenge is geometry. The shower's radiant sits low on the eastern horizon near the constellation Aquarius, leaving only a narrow window before sunrise when the sky climbs high enough to offer good views. In New York, that window runs roughly from 2:32 a.m. to 5:16 a.m. The higher the radiant rises, the sharper and more overhead the meteors appear; when it's low, they trace long, slow streaks across the horizon.
The fragments themselves are ancient — shed by Halley's Comet hundreds of years ago, drifting through space ever since. They ignite between 44 and 62 miles above Earth's surface and vaporize in seconds. Halley's Comet last appeared in 1986 and won't return until 2061, making these annual showers the closest most of us will come to the comet in our lifetimes.
For those unable to go outside, the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan is streaming live views from the Subaru Telescope on Mauna Kea — a way to witness, even from indoors, what happens when Earth passes through the debris field of a comet that belongs to another generation.
This weekend, if you wake before dawn and find a dark patch of sky, you might catch something that won't come around again for nearly four decades: pieces of Halley's Comet, burning their way through the upper atmosphere at speeds that would make a fighter jet look stationary.
The Eta Aquariid meteor shower reaches its peak on Friday and Saturday, May 5 and 6, offering one of the year's best chances to see debris from the most famous comet in human history. The shower itself has been active since April 19 and will continue through May 28, so there's a window—but the peak is when you'll see the most activity. Under perfect conditions, observers might count around 55 meteors per hour, though that number assumes completely dark skies and flawless weather. In reality, most people will see fewer.
The challenge for Northern Hemisphere viewers is that the shower's radiant—the point in the sky from which the meteors appear to stream—sits low on the eastern horizon, near the bright star beta Aquarii in the constellation Aquarius. This means the best viewing window is narrow: just a few hours before sunrise, when that region of sky climbs highest. In New York City, for instance, the shower becomes visible around 2:32 a.m. and fades by 5:16 a.m. The higher the radiant climbs, the more meteors will appear directly overhead, creating short, sharp trails. When it's lower, the meteors take longer paths through the atmosphere and burn up more slowly, leaving stretched streaks across the sky.
These fragments are ancient travelers. They separated from Halley's Comet hundreds of years ago and have been drifting in space ever since. When they strike Earth's atmosphere, they're moving at 148,000 miles per hour—roughly 100 times faster than a fighter jet. They ignite between 44 and 62 miles above the surface, visible for just seconds as they vaporize.
Halley's Comet itself is a visitor on a 76-year schedule. It last appeared in 1986 and won't return until 2061. For the next 38 years, these meteor showers represent the closest most of us will get to witnessing the comet directly. The debris Earth passes through each April and May is all that remains of the comet's ancient journeys near the sun, when radiation caused its icy body to sublimate—transforming solid ice directly into gas and ejecting dust and particles into space.
For those unable to venture outside during the peak hours, or for whom weather or light pollution makes viewing impossible, there's an alternative. The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan and the Asahi Shimbun Space Department are streaming live views from the Subaru Telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, available free online. It's not the same as stepping outside into the dark and waiting for the sky to light up, but it's something—a way to witness, even from indoors, what happens when Earth passes through the debris field of a comet that won't visit again for another generation.
Notable Quotes
The debris Earth passes through each April and May represents the closest most of us will get to witnessing Halley's Comet directly for the next 38 years.— NASA orbital data
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does Halley's Comet create a meteor shower if the comet itself won't be back until 2061?
The comet sheds material as it approaches the sun—ice and dust get blasted away by solar radiation. That debris lingers in space, spread out along the comet's orbit. Earth passes through the same region every year, so we encounter the old material even though the comet is long gone.
So these fragments have been floating around for centuries?
Centuries, yes. Scientists know they're old because Halley's current orbit doesn't bring it close enough to Earth to leave fresh debris. What we're seeing this weekend separated from the comet hundreds of years ago.
At 148,000 miles per hour, that's almost incomprehensible. Why so fast?
The fragments are traveling at the comet's orbital velocity. When they hit Earth's atmosphere at that speed, there's nowhere for that energy to go except outward—they burn up almost instantly, usually between 44 and 62 miles up.
Is the Northern Hemisphere at a disadvantage for viewing?
Significantly. The radiant sits low on the horizon, so you only get a few hours before sunrise when it's high enough to see clearly. Southern Hemisphere observers have it much better—the radiant climbs higher in their sky.
What's the difference between seeing a meteor when the radiant is high versus low?
When it's high, meteors come almost straight down, creating short, sharp trails. When it's low, they're coming at an angle, so they take longer paths through the atmosphere and burn up more slowly, leaving longer streaks.