What to know about latest meteor shower

For those who missed the Ursid meteor shower in December, you're in luck (possibly).

Another shower is will soon be visible in Greater Columbus Thursday night into early Friday morning, this one called the Eta Aquarid meteor shower.

The astrological event will consist of particles from Halley's Comet, one of the most well-known comets in history. The comet returns to Earth's vicinity about every 75 years, making it possible for a person to see it twice in their lifetime, said Space.com. Halley's comet was last visible in 1986, and is projected to return in 2061.

The particles that create the Eta Aquarid meteor shower were shed hundreds of years ago, according to USA Today.

According to NASA, Eta Aquarids peak every May and are known for their speed. The meteors can travel at about 148,000 mph into Earth's atmosphere. The fast meteors can leave glowing “trains” (incandescent bits of debris in the wake of the meteor) which last for several seconds to minutes. In a typical meteor shower, 30 Eta Aquarid meteors can be seen per hour during their peak.

The best window for viewing the shower will occur between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. before daybreak on Friday, said Accuweather.

However, it is expected to be cloudy in Ohio and much of the Midwest, Northeast and the south. The areas with the best chance of seeing the meteor shower are parts of the Southwest, southern plains, Florida, northern New England, most of Quebec and northern

Canada.

For those who want to try to spot the Eta Aquarids anyway, Accuweather recommends onlookers be patient. It may take between 15 to 20 minutes for a person's eyes to get adjusted to the dark. And then, the shower is expected to have lulls in between meteors. People could see a spurt of four or five meteors over the span of a few minutes and then not see another for 10 or 15 minutes.

Micah Walker is the Dispatch trending reporter. Reach her at mwalker@dispatch.com or 740-251-7199. Follow her on Twitter @micah_walker701.