Halley’s comet swings near Earth every 75 years. But debris left by the comet leads to two major meteor showers every year including the Eta Aquarids. When this meteor shower lights up the night sky, “you’ll know that Earth is crossing the path of the most famous comet ,” said Shauna Edson of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

Venus dominates as the brilliant “Morning Star” in the east-southeast before dawn; the Eta Aquariid meteor shower takes place; the moon has some nice pairings with stars and planets; and the Milky Way makes its appearance at midnight.

Many Southern Hemisphere observers consider this shower to be the best meteor shower of the year, but it's a different story for Northern Hemisphere skywatchers.