Meteor shower streaks over Kansas skies this May

TOPEKA ( KSNT ) – A meteor shower caused by a passing comet in our solar system is set to peak above Kansas this month.

27 News spoke with Brenda Culbertson, a Solar System Ambassador with NASA , about the upcoming annual shower. She says Kansans won’t need any specialized equipment, such as telescopes, to view the event as it occurs.

“They just need to go out, lean back, and look up,” Culbertson said.

The shower is active from April 15 through to May 27 but will reach its peak in the coming days when as many as 60 meteors per hour might be glimpsed by viewers on the ground. The Eta Aquarid meteor shower is due to reach its peak in Kansas’ skies on the night of Sunday, May 5 and leading into the early morning hours of Monday, May 6.

Culbertson says people should find a safe place outside away from other sources of light to get the best chances of watching the shower and catching sight of a passing meteor. The Eta Aquarids are known for being fast and produce few fireballs.

The shower originates from Halley’s Comet which also produces the Orionid meteor shower in October, according to NASA. The comet is named after English astronomer Edmond Halley who made accurate predictions about its path through the solar system in the 1700’s. You can learn more about the upcoming shower on NASA’s website by clicking here .

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