Meteors Produced By History’s Most Famous Comet To Shine Above New York State

As we enter an active time of year for annual astronomical events, the next meteor shower comes courtesy of a famous comet everyone learned about back in grade school.

The skies above New York have been full of celestial objects and bright gleaming fireballs in recent weeks. First, the Lyrids meteor shower, known for its "bright and fast" bursts of light, peaked late April 21 into early April 22.

Following the Lyrids, was the arrival of 12P/Pons-Brooks, which is more widely known as the infamous Devil Comet. The odd cryovolcanic ball of ice has been on a journey that has taken around 71 years, as it passed by Earth in late April.

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There's also been several fireballs not associated with any meteor showers, such as this one that was seen breaking up in the Earth's atmosphere over Long Island. 

Meteor Shower Set to Peak in Early May

Space.com says that the annual Eta Aquarid meteor shower will peak the nights of May 5 and 6. Unlike last year, there will be a new Moon, meaning there will be minimal interference for those watching from below, says Space.

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During the shower's peak, viewers in the Northern Hemisphere will be able to see 10 to 30 meteors per hour, as they speed across the sky at 41 miles per second, says scientists. While not the biggest meteor shower of the year, the event has been known to produce large 'outbursts' of meteors in the past.

The Eta Aquarids takes place as the planet passes through the debris cloud left behind by Halley's Comet, which will not be seen again from Earth until 2061.