Eta Aquarid meteor shower reaches peak activity this week
May 3, 2016
Eta Aquarid meteor shower reaches peak activity this week
by Chuck Bednar
This week, one of the fastest meteor showers of the year, the Eta Aquarids, will reach their peak, providing astronomy enthusiasts with a spectacular show that will feature as many as 30 meteors per hour traveling nearly 150,000 mph under peak visibility conditions.
The Eta Aquarids have been visible since April 19, according to the New York Times, but are set to reach their peak on May 5 and 6 before ending sometime around May 28. They are caused by the Earth traveling through a ring of debris left behind by Halley’s comet, the newspaper said.
Just how fast do these meteors travel? “If you blink, you’re not going to see them. They move that fast,” Bill Cooke, an astronomer with NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office (MEO), said to the Times. While typically no larger than a grain of sand, they often have the same velocity as a .357-caliber bullet, which is “why they leave these brilliant streaks in the atmosphere.”
Skywatchers in the Southern Hemisphere will get the best show
The Eta Aquarids are one of two meteor showers created by our planet’s interaction with the ring of debris left behind by Halley’s comet. The other, known as the Orionids, can be seen during the month of October – but if you’d rather not wait, here’s how to best see this month’s display.
Read more at http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/1113413913/aquarid-meteor-shower-2016-050316/#SHxEMr0sy0wbI12O.99
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Pretty bright, but a short trail. Maybe it was one of these. 
