Each Monday, I pick out North America’s celestial highlights for the week ahead (which also apply to mid-northern latitudes in the northern hemisphere), but be sure to check my main feed for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy, eclipses and more.

This week sees the peak of one of the best meteor showers of 2024. Running from April 15 through May 27 and peaking on the night of May 4-5, the Eta Aquariids—caused by Halley’s comet—can produce a maximum of 50 “shooting stars” per hour, according to the American Meteor Society, though 10-30 per hour is more likely.

With the night sky free from strong moonlight this week, it’s the ideal time of the month to go outside and look up after dark. Here’s everything you need to know about stargazing and astronomy this week:

Rise before the sun and look east for a lovely sight—Saturn and Mars. If you wait until about 40 minutes before sunrise, you’ll also be able to try for Mercury. However, whatever time you find Mars, put some binoculars on it because, just to its upper right, will be the eighth planet Neptune. It’s a rare chance to easily find this remote world.

A Last Quarter Moon is an important time of the month for stargazers. It marks the point when a 50%-lit moon (and reducing) rises after midnight, leaving the early evening skies free of moonlight pollution. The stars will seem brighter, as will star clusters, nebula and galaxies. It’s the perfect time to use a telescope, a pair of binoculars—or just your naked eyes.

Look to the east before sunrise, and you’ll see a 29%-lit waning crescent moon less than a degree from the “ringed planet.” That’s the width of an outstretched finger held against the sky.

If you’re up early again, look to the east before sunrise, and you’ll see an even more slender 19%-lit waning crescent moon between Saturn and Mars.

Expected to produce about 20 to 30 meteors per hour—and as many as 50, if some predictions are correct—the Eta Aquariids peak in the early pre-dawn hours this morning. It will occur in dark, moonless skies. The best display of “shooting stars” since December’s Geminids, the Eta Aquariids meteor shower results from a debris stream deposited in the inner solar system by Halley’s comet.

Here are some tips on seeing meteor showers from NASA:

The times and dates given apply to mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location-specific information, consult online planetariums like Stellarium and The Sky Live. Check planet-rise/planet-set, sunrise/sunset , and moonrise/moonset times.

Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.