Set your alarms for 4 a.m. and head outside to catch a meteor shower this weekend

Good news: The solar eclipse isn't the only astronomical event worth looking up at the sky for this spring! Shooting stars will be streaking across the sky in the coming days as part of the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, with NASA predicting meteor rates up to one per minute in the Southern Hemisphere.

While the shower typically peaks on the night of May 4, a phenomenon known as an outburst means that meteors should be visible all the way from May 2 to May 6.

The Eta Aquarids won't outburst again for another 20 years, according to Bill Cooke, of the Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

What is the Eta Aqarid meteor shower?

All meteor showers are caused by the Earth passing through debris fields left by comets and asteroids, NASA says. The debris collides with the Earth's atmosphere, causing it to disintegrate and create the fiery streaks through the sky that many call shooting stars.

In the case of the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, the Earth is moving through concentrated clumps of 3,000-year-old material from Halley's Comet, according to NASA. When the planet moves through this same debris in October, any meteors that form are known as Orionids.

Each shower is named for its radiant, or the point in the sky in which the meteors appear to come from, according to NASA. For Eta Aquarid, the meteors look like they come from Eta Aquarii, one of the brightest stars in the constellation Aquarius.

How can you watch the meteor shower?

The best time to see the meteor shower is between 4 a.m. and dawn, according to NASA. Experts recommend going to the darkest available location where you can see as much of the sky as possible — no binoculars or telescopes needed.

Your eyes may need time to adjust to the dark, so avoid using your phone. Luckily, the meteors will be easier to see because of the new moon, so there will be less light interference.

Happy stargazing!

MORE:From child poverty to education, here's what experts say should shape public policy

Send story tips or ideas to Hannah Edelman at hedelman@delawareonline.com. For more reporting, follow them on X at @h_edelman.