Catch the peak of the Eta Aquarid meteor shower on the night of May 4-5! Astronomers say the event may be more star-studded than normal this year, let's learn what makes this spectacle extra stellar.
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00:05Spend the first weekend of May under the starry skies.
00:08On the night of May 4th and 5th, the Eta Aquarid meteor shower will peak.
00:13Although the shower favors the Southern Hemisphere, the Northern Hemisphere has a good view too.
00:18The farther south you live, the better the odds of seeing shooting stars.
00:23The Eta Aquarids may become extra lively this year due to an enhanced amount of debris being launched toward our planet by the gas giant Jupiter.
00:32As a result, what is normally a peak of 10 to 30 meteors per hour may jump to 30 to 40 meteors per hour.
00:39Even better, the Moon will not provide much competition for the night sky in its waning crescent phase.
00:45The best time to view the shower will be after midnight at 2 a.m. local time.
00:50Be sure to check the latest cloud forecast by visiting AccuWeather.com or by downloading the AccuWeather app.
00:56Reporting for AccuWeather, I'm Jeff Cornish.