The Eta Aquariid meteor shower is about to peak. Here's how to catch it from Australia
Early risers are in for a treat, with one of the best meteor showers of the Southern Hemisphere about to peak later in the week.
The shower is visible from anywhere in Australia and, if you know where to look, you might catch up to 22 meteors an hour.
This year will be particularly good because the Moon won't be visible when the meteors — called the Eta Aquariids — start streaking across the night sky.
Laura Driessen, an astronomer at the University of Sydney, says it will be worth getting out of bed to watch the meteor shower if you have clear skies.
"
It is beautiful. Every time I get the chance to see [the Eta Aquariids], it's fantastic.
"
When can I see the Eta Aquariids?
Weather permitting,
Australians can expect to see the most meteors before dawn on Thursday, May 8.
That's because the shower peaks during the day on Wednesday, May 7.
However, the Eta Aquariids slowly ramp up over a few weeks from late April, then taper off until it's all over in late May.
So a few days either side of the peak could still
be impressive, with up to
a dozen visible meteors per hour
early in the week, depending on your location.
Here is an estimate of how many meteors you might see from different parts of Australia — the further north you are, the better.
The best time to see the meteors is in the early morning before sunrise,
when Aquarius, the constellation the meteors appear to come from,
will be highest in the north-east sky.
Dr Driessen recommends heading out
between 3:00 and 5:00am local time
to see the most meteors.
"The couple of hours before dawn … will be the best time," she says.
That's because by 3:00am, the Moon will have set. Without the bright Moon, the sky will be particularly dark, and you'll be able to better spot meteors.
How best to see the meteor shower
To get the best view of any meteor shower, the most important thing is to
head to a dark location
.
While those in the city might see an Eta Aquariid meteor or two this week, skywatchers in areas with little or no light pollution
might be able to see dozens every hour.
Meteors seem to come from a "radiant point".
(
Hao Yin/Wikimedia/CC BY 4.0
)
But according to University of Southern Queensland
astronomer Rebecca McElroy, don't expect to see them immediately.
"Go and get a picnic blanket, lie down, look at the sky and you've got to wait at least 15 minutes for your eyes to adjust," she says.
"If you've been inside, or looking at your phone, you need to wait for your eyes to adjust to the much smaller amount of light [produced by
a meteor]."
Then, when you're settled,
look to the north-east, near the horizon
.
The part of the sky where the meteors will seem to "shoot" from — called the "radiant point" — is a star in the Aquarius constellation called Eta Aquarii.
Mercury will be lowest in the sky, with much brighter Venus above it and Saturn above that.
Venus will be visible below the Eta Aquariids shower on the morning of May 7.
(
ABC Science: Jacinta Bowler/Stellarium
)
Stargazing apps or software will be able to help you find the star.
Because the Eta Aquariids only come from that location in the sky, other "shooting stars" you might see
While you might not see meteors straight away, Dr McElroy says staying out in the dark for about an hour or so will give you the best chance of catching some.
Meteors don't uniformly arrive. Sometimes there will be no visible meteors for a few minutes, and then a few will arrive in quick succession.
What causes the Eta Aquariids?
While staring at sky searching for meteors, it might seem like the light show is coming from the Eta Aquarii star itself. But that's an optical illusion.
Dr McElroy notes that the constellation is a bit like a background painting, with the meteors in the foreground. This is the case with all meteor showers.
"It just so happens that at this time of year, the constellation … in that direction is the constellation of Aquarius," she says.
What causes the Eta Aquariids is actually Halley's Comet — or, rather, the debris it leaves behind.
Halley's Comet intersects with Earth twice in a year to cause two different meteor showers.
(
Supplied: NASA/SSD/Jacinta Bowler
)
As Halley's Comet makes its way through the Solar System, it lays down a trail of dust, gas and other scraps which intersects with Earth's orbit twice a year, Dr Driessen says.
"
Most meteors are usually rice-grain size, and Earth just ploughs through this little cloud of small particles.
"
At this time of year, Halley's Comet debris trail causes the Eta Aquariids, and later in the year it causes the Orionids meteor shower.
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