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The Citizen
05-05-2025
- Science
- The Citizen
The Eta Aquariid meteor shower is peaking… Here's how to see it
The Eta Aquariid meteor shower is peaking… Here's how to see it A celestial treat awaits tomorrow morning as the Eta Aquariid meteor shower, one of the year's most dazzling displays, lights up the early morning sky, with up to 50 meteors per hour expected at its peak. Pretoria Rekord reports that according to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa), these meteors originate from Halley's Comet, travelling at 66km/s, creating fast, bright streaks across the sky. They peak during early May each year. In South Africa, the best time to view the Eta Aquariid meteor shower is between 02:00 and 04:00, when the radiant in Aquarius is highest. For the best experience, head to a dark spot away from city lights, give your eyes 30 minutes to adjust and look slightly away from the radiant to see meteors streaking across the sky. Moonlight interference will be minimal, making this a great opportunity for photographers. A wide-angle lens and long exposure settings will help capture the meteors. If the sky is clear, this could be a spectacular show. Here is more information about the meteors: Nasa explains that meteors come from leftover comet particles and bits from broken asteroids. When comets move around the Sun, they leave a dusty trail behind them. Every year, Earth passes through these debris trails, which allows the bits to collide with our atmosphere, where they disintegrate to create fiery and colourful streaks in the sky. 'The pieces of space debris that interact with our atmosphere to create the Eta Aquarids originate from comet 1P/Halley. Each time Halley returns to the inner solar system, its nucleus sheds a layer of ice and rock into space. The dust grains eventually become the Eta Aquarids in May and the Orionids in October if they collide with Earth's atmosphere. Comet Halley takes about 76 years to orbit the Sun once.' Nasa said the last time comet Halley was seen by casual observers was in 1986. It will not enter the inner solar system again until 2061. 'Comet Halley was discovered in 1705 by Edmund Halley. He predicted the orbit of the comet through past observations of comets, suggesting that these sightings were in fact all the same comet. Halley is perhaps the most famous comet. It has been sighted for millennia. This comet is even featured in the Bayeux tapestry, which chronicles the Battle of Hastings in 1066. 'Comet Halley's dimensions are 10 x 5 x 5 miles (16 x 8 x 8km). It is one of the darkest, or least reflective, objects in the solar system, with an albedo of 0.03.' Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
05-05-2025
- Science
- The Citizen
The Eta Aquariid meteor shower is peaking. Here's how to see it
The Eta Aquariid meteor shower is peaking. Here's how to see it Pretoria residents are in for a celestial treat as the Eta Aquariid meteor shower, one of the year's most dazzling displays, lights up the early morning skies on May 5 and 6 — with up to 50 meteors per hour expected at its peak. According to NASA these meteors originate from Halley's Comet, traveling at 66 km/s, creating fast, bright streaks across the sky. They peak during early May each year. In South Africa, the best time to view the Eta Aquariid meteor shower is between 2am and 4am, when the radiant in Aquarius is highest. For the best experience, head to a dark spot away from city lights, give your eyes 30 minutes to adjust and look slightly away from the radiant to see meteors streaking across the sky. Moonlight interference will be minimal, making this a great opportunity for photographers. A wide-angle lens and long exposure settings will help capture the meteors. If skies are clear, this could be a spectacular show. With minimal moonlight expected, conditions are ideal for photographers—use a wide-angle lens and long exposure to capture the meteors. Clear skies could make this a truly spectacular celestial display. Here is more information about the meteors: NASA explained that meteors come from leftover comet particles and bits from broken asteroids. When comets come around the Sun, they leave a dusty trail behind them. Every year Earth passes through these debris trails, which allows the bits to collide with our atmosphere where they disintegrate to create fiery and colorful streaks in the sky. 'The pieces of space debris that interact with our atmosphere to create the Eta Aquarids originate from comet 1P/Halley. Each time that Halley returns to the inner solar system its nucleus sheds a layer of ice and rock into space. The dust grains eventually become the Eta Aquarids in May and the Orionids in October if they collide with Earth's atmosphere. Comet Halley takes about 76 years to orbit the Sun once.' It added that the last time comet Halley was seen by casual observers was in 1986. Comet Halley will not enter the inner solar system again until 2061. 'Comet Halley was discovered in 1705 by Edmund Halley. He predicted the orbit of the comet through past observations of comets, suggesting that these sightings were in fact all the same comet. Halley is perhaps the most famous comet. It has been sighted for millennia. This comet is even featured in the Bayeux tapestry, which chronicles the Battle of Hastings in 1066. 'Comet Halley's dimensions are 10 x 5 x 5 miles (16 x 8 x 8 kilometers). It is one of the darkest, or least reflective, objects in the solar system, with an albedo of 0.03.' Also read: Hennops River bodies: SAPS vehicle recovered Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Come see the 'Earthgrazers': Eta Aquarids to peak early May. When and how to watch the meteor shower
In case you missed the Lyrid meteor shower in April, you now have another chance to catch a celestial display. The Eta Aquarids meteor shower, known for its speedy space rocks, is due to peak in early May. The Eta Aquarids have been active since April 20, but will reach their peak May 5-6. According to NASA, the meteors travel at about 40 miles per second into Earth's atmosphere and can leave behind glowing "trains" (incandescent bits of debris) which last for several seconds to minutes Although the Southern Hemisphere is preferable for viewing the Eta Aquarids, the Northern Hemisphere will still be able to catch a glimpse. Here's what to know about the Eta Aquarids meteor shower and how to see it in 2025. The meteor shower will be at its peak Monday, May 5, and Tuesday, May 6. The optimal viewing time in the Northern Hemisphere will be during the pre-dawn hours, said NASA, when stargazers can view up to 10 meteors or "Earthgrazers" (long meteors that appear to skim the surface of the Earth at the horizon) per hour. The difference in meteor visibility between hemispheres is due to the position of the radiant — the point from which meteors appear to originate in the sky. The constellation Aquarius, home to the Eta Aquarids' radiant, is higher in the Southern Hemisphere, said NASA, making meteors more frequent and easier to see. Like all other meteor showers, the Eta Aquarids are best viewed in dark areas, away from city or street lights. NASA recommends bringing a sleeping bag, blanket, or lawn chair, lying flat on your back with your feet facing east, and looking up to take in as much of the sky as possible. "After about 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will begin to see meteors," said NASA. "Be patient – the show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse." The Eta Aquarids originate from the most famous comet, Halley's Comet. Discovered in 1705 by Edmund Halley, the comet takes about 76 years to complete a full orbit around the Sun. According to NASA, each time Halley returns to the inner solar system, its nucleus sheds a layer of ice and rock into space. The dust grains eventually become the Eta Aquarids in May and the Orionids in October if they collide with Earth's atmosphere. Halley's Comet will not enter the inner solar system again until 2061. The next showers to take place after this are the Southern delta Aquariids and the alpha Capricornids, which are both set to peak July 29-30, according to the American Meteor Society. The Southern delta Aquariids are best seen from the Southern Hemisphere and while the alpha Capricornids can be seen from the Northern Hemisphere, it is not a very strong shower. Diana Leyva covers trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact her at Dleyva@ or follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @_leyvadiana This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: When is the Eta Aquarids meteor shower at its peak? How to see
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Come see the 'Earthgrazers': Eta Aquarids to peak early May. When and how to watch the meteor shower
In case you missed the Lyrid meteor shower in April, you now have another chance to catch a celestial display. The Eta Aquarids meteor shower, known for its speedy space rocks, is due to peak in early May. The Eta Aquarids have been active since April 20, but will reach their peak May 5-6. According to NASA, the meteors travel at about 40 miles per second into Earth's atmosphere and can leave behind glowing "trains" (incandescent bits of debris) which last for several seconds to minutes Although the Southern Hemisphere is preferable for viewing the Eta Aquarids, the Northern Hemisphere will still be able to catch a glimpse. Here's what to know about the Eta Aquarids meteor shower and how to see it in 2025. The meteor shower will be at its peak Monday, May 5, and Tuesday, May 6. The optimal viewing time in the Northern Hemisphere will be during the pre-dawn hours, said NASA, when stargazers can view up to 10 meteors or "Earthgrazers" (long meteors that appear to skim the surface of the Earth at the horizon) per hour. The difference in meteor visibility between hemispheres is due to the position of the radiant — the point from which meteors appear to originate in the sky. The constellation Aquarius, home to the Eta Aquarids' radiant, is higher in the Southern Hemisphere, said NASA, making meteors more frequent and easier to see. Like all other meteor showers, the Eta Aquarids are best viewed in dark areas, away from city or street lights. NASA recommends bringing a sleeping bag, blanket, or lawn chair, lying flat on your back with your feet facing east, and looking up to take in as much of the sky as possible. "After about 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will begin to see meteors," said NASA. "Be patient – the show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse." The Eta Aquarids originate from the most famous comet, Halley's Comet. Discovered in 1705 by Edmund Halley, the comet takes about 76 years to complete a full orbit around the Sun. According to NASA, each time Halley returns to the inner solar system, its nucleus sheds a layer of ice and rock into space. The dust grains eventually become the Eta Aquarids in May and the Orionids in October if they collide with Earth's atmosphere. Halley's Comet will not enter the inner solar system again until 2061. The next showers to take place after this are the Southern delta Aquariids and the alpha Capricornids, which are both set to peak July 29-30, according to the American Meteor Society. The Southern delta Aquariids are best seen from the Southern Hemisphere and while the alpha Capricornids can be seen from the Northern Hemisphere, it is not a very strong shower. Diana Leyva covers trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact her at Dleyva@ or follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @_leyvadiana This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: When is the Eta Aquarids meteor shower at its peak? How to see
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Pieces of Halley's Comet could leave glowing trails across the night sky
Debris from one of the most famous comets is about to speed across the night sky. The Eta Aquarid meteor shower is expected to reach its peak on Sunday, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. These fast meteors are best seen during the pre-dawn hours — between midnight and about an hour before morning twilight — in the direction of the constellation Aquarius, NASA stated. Reaching speeds of 148,000 mph, the Eta Aquarids leave behind 'trains,' or incandescent pieces of debris coming from each meteor as they reach Earth's atmosphere, the space agency added. During the meteor shower's peak, as many as 50 meteors can be seen, while as many as 10 can be seen within an hour when not during the meteor shower's peak. Like other meteor showers, the Eta Aquarids are best seen far from any light pollution emanating from a town or city. In preparation, bring a sleeping bag, blanket or lawn chair while looking up and facing east, NASA suggested. While looking, the space agency advises people to stay patient as their eyes adjust to the darkness and the meteors become more visible. The human eye takes about 30 minutes to adjust to the dark. The Eta Aquarids originate from Halley's Comet, which was last seen in the night sky in 1986, according to NASA. First seen in 1705 by astronomer Edmund Halley, its fame stems from being the first comet understood to be a repeat visitor as it makes cyclical approaches toward the sun. Halley's Comet travels around the sun roughly every 76 years. It's expected to be seen again from Earth in 2061. Look up: This planet is about to pass through cosmic beehive in unique sky event Halley's Comet debris soon to leave glowing streaks in the sky It's one of the biggest moons of the year — so why can't you tell? Watch unique sky event from your backyard as planet passes through a cosmic beehive Here are 10 photos taken by the Hubble Space Telescope after 35 years in space
