Halley’s Comet Lights Up the Sky

It’s been 24 years since Halley’s Comet last passed through the inner solar system, but remnants from the icy wanderer will light up the dawn sky this week in the Eta Aquarid meteor shower.

The meteor shower peaked early this morning. Under ideal conditions (a dark, moonless sky) about 40 of these very swift meteors can be seen per hour. The shower appears at about one-quarter peak strength for about three or four days before and after May 6.

The famous Halley’s Comet takes roughly 76 years to circle the sun and last passed through our cosmic neighborhood in 1986. Halley’s orbit closely approaches the Earth’s orbit in two spots, offering two chances each year to see meteor showers left over from the comet’s cosmic “litter.”

One point is in the middle to latter part of October, producing a meteor display known as the Orionids. The other point comes in the early part of May, producing the Eta Aquarids.

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