Eta Aquarids, the brightest meteor shower in the Southern Hemisphere is peaking this weekend. The shower offers a glimpse of the remnants of Halley's comet as the Earth passes through a stream of debris and dust left by the world-famous comet.
The annual meteor shower will be visible in all areas of the sky as it peaks on May 4, Saturday night, and early morning of May 5, Sunday.
The number of meteors visible to star gazers will depend on their location but sky watchers in the United States can expect up to 30 meteors per hour. This cosmic event is expected to put on a great sky show this year.
According to the International Meteor Organization, the Eta Aquarids usually produce medium rates of 10 to 30 meteors every hour just before dawn. These showers will be visible from the equator northward. Spectators located in the south of the equator can expect more than 40 meteors per hour on the peak night.
"The meteors are most abundant in the hours leading up to dawn," said Dave Samuhel of Accuweather.
Best Locations To View The Eta Aquarids
Uninterrupted views and cloud-free night skies on Saturday night are expected across the Pacific Northwest, central Rockies, and along a portion of Michigan to eastern Texas.
Good viewing condition is also expected from Houston through St. Louis and Chicago. However, light pollution might make it difficult to see the dimmer shooting stars.
Storm clouds and rain across the eastern United States region won't allow watchers to view the meteor shower, and it will be the same for those located in the Upper midwest and California.
NASA suggests that to be able to clearly view the meteor shower, find an area away from bright city or street lights. Spectators can lie flat on their backs on a sleeping bag, blanket, or lawn chair, and with their feet facing east. Look at the sky and after about 30 minutes of staring in the darkness of the atmosphere, the eyes will adapt to see the meteors. Fortunately, light from the new moon won't wash out the view of the meteor shower.
Remnants Of Halley's Comet
Halley's comet only grazes the Earth's orbit every 75 years. Its last flyby was in 1986 and is expected to appear again in 2061. Each year, during first week of May, when the Earth passes through Halley's elliptical orbit, tiny debris collide into our atmosphere at roughly 41 miles per second. Those tiny particles burn up as it enters the Earth's atmosphere and appear as streaks of meteors.
Eta Aquarid meteors appear to come from location of constellation Aquarius, in one of its brightest stars, the Eta Aquarii. NASA said these meteors are fast and can leave glowing trains of incandescent bits which last for several seconds to minutes. These meteors travel at about 148,000 mph into the Earth's atmosphere.
