The Eta Aquarid meteor shower will peak this weekend, bringing up to 50 "shooting stars" per hour to the sky Saturday night and early Sunday (May 4 - 5). The annual meteor shower may have increased rates this year thanks to the gravitational influence of Jupiter, according to the American Meteor Society.
"Shooting stars" are caused by meteoroids. As these tiny particles strike Earth's atmosphere, they heat up and vaporize, releasing energy visible as streaks of light in the night sky. The Eta Aquarids move at a swift 40.7 miles per second (65.5 kilometers per second), and there are typically between 10 and 30 visible each hour during the peak night.
