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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Paul Turner

The Eta Aquarids meteor shower will be at its finest tonight and here's how to see it

If you turn your head to the skies tonight you might see something quite incredible.

Tonight is the peak for the Eta Aquarids meteor shower which will see up to 60 meteors shoot across the sky every hour - that's around one every minute.

The annual display started on April 19 and will continue until May 28, but the display should be at its finest tonight.

But you'll have to be a nightowl to see it, as the best time will be just before dawn. There may also be some cloudy skies interfering with the view.

A statement from NASA said: “The Eta Aquarids are pieces of debris from Halley’s Comet, which is a well-known comet that is viewable from Earth approximately every 76 years.

“Also known as 1P/Halley, this comet was last viewable from Earth in 1986 and won’t be visible again until the middle of 2061.

“The annual Eta Aquarid meteor shower gets its name because the radiant — or direction of origin — of the meteors appears to come from the constellation Aquarius.”

Remember to abide by the rules on non-essential travel, however, so you'll need to position yourself in your garden, on a balcony, or just at a window if you want to try and watch.

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