Next up in the night sky: How to watch Lyrid meteor shower

A. E. Thatcher, according to NASA. Every year, the earth passes through the debris left behind by comets. The pieces of space debris then burn up in the atmosphere, creating streaks in the sky or fiery bursts.

The Lyrids appear to originate in the night sky from the area around the constellation Lyra, which is where the meteors get their name.

Perseids are not far behind

The Eta Aquarids meteor shower is expected to peak this year from May 4 to 5, according to NASA. Bill Cooke, of the Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, expects it to be an outburst year.

“Visual rates could be as high as one per minute in the Southern Hemisphere, with just slightly less in the Northern,” Cooke tells the NASA Watch the Skies blog.

The crescent moon that night shouldn’t greatly dim the show, according to NASA.

The big show every year is the Perseid meteor shower, which this year will peak from Aug. 12 to 13 with 50 to 100 meteors per hour, according to NASA. Cooke says there will be no moonlight to spoil the view that night, according to the NASA blog.

What are the Eta Aquarids?

Appearing to originate from the constellation Aquarius, the Eta Aquarids peak in early May each year. The meteors are known for their speed, and they can leave glowing “trains” – bits of debris in their wake – that can last for up to a full minute, according to NASA.

The meteors originate from Halley’s Comet, which returns every 76 years and was last seen in 1986.

What are the Perseids?

The Perseids appear to originate from the constellation Perseus, and are considered to be the best meteor shower of the year, according to NASA. At their peak, the Perseids can generate up to 100 meteors per hour.