The Eta Aquariid meteor shower peaks this week: How to see ‘shooting stars’ dropped by Halley’s Comet
The Eta Aquariid meteor shower will peak in a single day from May 5-6, giving skywatchers an opportunity to spot fast-moving “shooting stars” created by particles from Halley’s Comet.
The Eta Aquariids (additionally spelled Eta Aquarids) are lively from April 19 to May 28 every year, with meteors showing to radiate from the constellation Aquarius, particularly close to the star Eta Aquarii, in accordance to Time and Date. The star, which is 168 light-years away, is seen to the bare eye — nevertheless, that distant star actually has nothing to do with the shower.
Halley’s Comet is presently touring by way of the outer reaches of the photo voltaic system, past the orbit of Neptune. But twice every year, Earth passes by way of the path of mud and particles that the comet has beforehand left behind. That creates each the Eta Aquariids in April and May and the Orionid meteor shower from early October to early November.
As Earth strikes by way of Halley’s particles, tiny particles enter the environment at round 40.7 miles per second (65.4 kilometers per second), in accordance to the American Meteor Societyproducing swift meteors and protracted glowing trails. Bright fireballs are potential, however uncommon. Eta Aquariid exercise is strongest for a couple of week centered on the height night time.
From the Northern Hemisphere, the shower often produces medium charges of round 10 to 30 meteors per hour. That’s as a result of the radiant, Eta Aquarii, stays comparatively low on the jap horizon. However, meteors should still seem as lengthy “Earthgrazers” that skim low throughout the sky.
The Eta Aquariids are strongest when seen from the Southern tropics, the place the radiant rises increased within the sky earlier than dawn. Under preferrred dark-sky situations, up to 50 meteors per hour are potential.
For this 12 months’s meteor shower, moonlight will make it tougher to spot meteors. On the height night time of May 5-6, the moon will probably be a waning gibbous that is 84% full, and its brightness may cut back charges to fewer than 10 meteors seen per hour, in accordance to the American Meteor Society.
The greatest time to watch will probably be earlier than daybreak on May 6, when the radiant level is highest within the sky and the moon is decrease, which improves visibility for fainter meteors. You’ll need to watch the shower along with your bare eyes, after letting them regulate to the darkish — nevertheless, astrophotography camera is advisable if you would like to strive your hand at photographing a meteor shower.
