The radiant, the point in the sky where the Eta Aquarids seem to emerge from, is in the direction of the constellation Aquarius. The shower is named after the brightest star of the constellation, Eta Aquarii.

The Eta Aquarids is one of two meteor showers created by debris from Comet Halley, which last passed through the inner solar system in 1986. This results in the shooting stars that observers can view, as the debris hits our atmosphere and burns up, creating vibrant streaks.

Comet Halley takes around 76 years to make a complete turn around the Sun and the next time it will be visible from Earth is in 2061.

Skygazers can take advantage of the meteors’ slow-paced peak. ”Unlike most major annual meteor showers, there is no sharp peak for this shower, but rather a plateau of good rates that last approximately one week, centered on May 7,” according to the American Meteor Society website.