Meteor Shower Spawned by Halley's Comet Peaks Friday

An image of Halley's Comet taken in 1986. CREDIT: NASA

It has been 25 years since Halley's Comet last passed through the inner solar system, but an annual meteor shower keeps the icy wanderer's legacy on Earth alive this week.

Halley's Comet takes roughly 75 years to circle the sun, but if you're 30 years old or younger, you either have little or no memory of this famous cosmic vagabond's 1986 trip by Earth. And your next chance will come in the summer of 2061.

But if you don’t want to wait until 2061, you might want to step outside before sunrise during these next few mornings and try to catch a view of some "cosmic litter" that has been left behind in space by Halley's comet — a summer display of "shooting stars." [Video: Meteors from Halley's Comet]