The Early Morning Show – Eta Aquarid Meteor Showers While The Planets Align
by TAMMY PLOTNER on APRIL 30, 2011
Comet Halley Courtesy of Halley Multicolor Camera Team, Giotto Project, ESA
Are you ready for the Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower? While the peak activity will be on the night of May 5/6, the offspring of Comet Halley are already beginning to make their appearance known. No matter where you live or what time zone you observe from, the best time to look for “shooting stars” is over the next week or so during the hours just before dawn.
Somewhere in the outer reaches of our solar system beyond the orbit of Jupiter, Comet Halley continues on its track – far away from its 1986 debris trail. However, now isn’t the only time we encounter this famous comet’s leftovers. Three times a year the Earth cruises through the dusty trail causing the Eta Aquarids, the Beta Aquarids (both in May) and the Orionids (during October). When a piece of this debris enters our atmosphere, it is traveling about 66 kilometers per second and can shine as brightly as the stars (3rd magnitude) in the constellation from which it appears to originate. Encountering a dense paticle stream may spark activity of up to 70 meteors per hour for lucky observers in the southern hemisphere, but don’t count yourself out if you live in the north! Because the constellation of Aquarius is relatively low for northern observers, this means we have at least a better chance of spotting those breathtaking Earth grazers!
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