Perseid meteor shower captured from Lake Duolun, Inner Mongolia, China. (Image credit: Haitong Yu via Getty Images).
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Perseid meteor shower captured from Lake Duolun, Inner Mongolia, China. (Image credit: Haitong Yu via Getty Images).
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Every year, the Eta Aquarids they generally peak in early May. Eta Aquarid meteors are remnants of the Halley comet and they are known to travel very fast, at a speed of 66 km/s towards the Earth’s atmosphere. This is great for observers, as fast meteors in the sky can leave shiny “trains” last from several seconds to minutes. This is the best night to observe them!
The Eta Aquarids extend from April 19 to May 28, but the best time to see it is the night of May 6 and the morning of May 7. Slightly favors observers near the equatorwhere it can be seen around 40 meteors per hour. In general, about 30 meteors per hour are expected at its peak.
How and what time to see it? Its radiance is aquarius constellation, so it is in that direction that you should look. Also, you should keep in mind that you need a clear sky and free from light pollution. The ideal would be to see from 2 am in your local timeor when the Moon descends on the horizon.
Observation tips: It is recommended that it be located in a dark and clear place from about half an hour before. be patient and avoid any contact with light or devices that emit it during that time (such as cell phones); in this way your eyes will be prepared and you will be able to enjoy the event better.
How are Eta Aquarids produced? The bits of space rock that interact with our atmosphere to create the Eta Aquarids come from the comet 1P / Halley. According to NASAEach time Halley returns to the inner solar system, its core sheds a shell of ice and rock into space. The dust grains end up becoming the Eta Aquarids, in May, and the Orionids, in October, if they collide with the Earth’s atmosphere.
Halley’s Comet takes about 76 Earth years to complete one orbit around the Sun. At aphelion in 1948, Halley was 35.25 AU (5.27 billion km) from the Sun, well beyond the distance of Neptune. At perihelion on February 9, 1986, Halley was only 0.5871 AU (87.8 million km) from the Sun, well within the orbit of Venus. Halley’s Comet was last seen by casual observers in 1986 and won’t re-enter the inner solar system until 2061.
The shower of stars, which are actually meteors, is an astronomical phenomenon of singular beauty that, fortunately, we can enjoy a lot simply by observing the sky, without the need for a telescope. It happens only at certain times of the year, don’t miss it. A small inconvenience for this date will be to find dark skies, since the Moon will be illuminated between 35 to 45%. Anyway, it’s time to see the stars. Clear skies!
We are close to witnessing interesting events as the first lunar eclipse of the year. Stay on top of our astronomy news.
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