As Netcost-Security reports, the first major meteor shower of 2022 took place this week, specifically last Thursday (the 5th). The state of Santa Catarina alone had regarding 300 space fragments flying overhead. São Paulo and Paraná also had records of space objects.
Known as Eta Aquarids, this meteor shower occurs when Earth passes through the densest part of the debris trail left by Comet Halley. Each small fragment left by the comet, as it passes through our atmosphere at high speed, generates a meteor, which is the luminous phenomenon commonly known as a “shooting star”.
Look at Eta Aquáridas in the sky of Santa Catarina:
Thursday’s dawn (5) was a special sight for astronomers from all over Brazil. The country recorded hundreds of meteors in several states, including the interior of São Paulo, and in northern Paraná and Santa Catarina.
????: Meteora Monte Castelo SC. pic.twitter.com/nO46sUrtxk
— Time (@otempo) May 6, 2022
During a meteor shower, several fragments of the same trail hit the atmosphere. In the case of Eta Aquárids, its activity begins on April 21 and continues until May 12, but the moment of greatest intensity of rain occurs on the night of May 5 to 6, when it usually presents more 40 meteors per hour in ideal conditions. .
This Thursday’s shower isn’t the only one that occurs annually with meteors associated with Comet Halley. On top of that, Orionids, which takes place in October, is also generated by debris from the same comet, but it’s not as intense as Eta Aquarids.
To learn more regarding Eta Aquárids and the meteor shower that passed over Santa Catarina, go to the Digital Look article.
Have you watched our new videos on Youtube? Subscribe to our channel!
