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The Guardian
06-05-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
What is the best time to see the Eta Aquariids meteor shower 2025? Where and how can I see it in Australia?
Stargazers and early risers are in for a stellar show this week, with one of the biggest meteor showers in the southern hemisphere due to light up the skies. The meteors — called the Eta Aquariids – pass through the atmosphere every year, but 2025 is due to be particularly luminous as the moon won't be visible when they arrive. Here's how to catch a view of the celestial delight. The good thing is this particular meteor shower not only happens every year, but spans multiple days. McElroy said Wednesday 7 May would be the 'best day' for stargazers, with around two dozen meteors expected to pass per hour. But if it happens to be cloudy that day, you won't blink and miss it. The shower will continue to have a strong showing on the days preceding and following 7 May, before tapering off at the end of the month. 'Often these things are quite short-lived … it'll peak this week but it will continue,' McElroy said. Unfortunately, though, the best viewing window is between 3am and 5am – 'not for the faint-hearted or those who feel the cold'. If you happen to find yourself awake in the early dawn, though, you're in luck. The Eta Aquariids can be viewed anywhere in the world, but they are best seen from the southern hemisphere where the shower will rise in the pre-dawn, darkened sky. In Australia, every state and territory will be able to witness the display. But McElroy said areas with the lowest light pollution would have the greatest visibility – such as Uluru and remote parts of the Northern Territory. 'These things aren't enormously bright, so you want to get away from as much light pollution as you can,' McElroy said. 'If you're in the city, get into the suburbs and away from bright lights.' Australia is lucky. McElroy said the best skies she has seen have been in Australia and in Chile because they look towards the centre of the Milky Way. 'In the northern hemisphere, you spend most of the year looking to the outskirts, but our winter happens to have the Milky Way's centre up in sky, and parts of Australia are very dark with a lot of protected [areas], like national parks,' she said. After heading outside, McElroy said you should first 'check the weather … That's the most important part. If it's cloudy you're not going to see anything, which is the curse of astronomy.' Then, turn off any porch or external lights and look away from bright street lights or your phone – which resets our daytime vision. 'Our eyes have a high dynamic range, and it takes 10 to 20 minutes to adjust to the night sky,' McElroy said. 'Grab a blanket, have a lie down and stay out there for an hour.' The constellation of Aquarius, where the meteors will appear, are in the north-east of the sky. Apps such as Star Mapper or Stellarium can help display the correct spot – but make sure you keep your brightness down. The Eta Aquariids are caused by Earth passing through debris left behind by Halley's Comet hundreds of years ago. Dr Rebecca McElroy, an astrophysicist from the University of Southern Queensland, said Earth passes through the debris field every year. As the bits of rock and dust hit the atmosphere at high speeds, they burn up and create bright streaks – creating what we call meteors. 'Meteors tend to look like a bright streak going by, like a shooting star, but more,' McElroy said. 'Occasionally they happen just randomly – when something of a high density is in our path.' It is known as 'Eta Aquariids' because of the part of the sky in which the meteors appear – which is near the star Eta Aquarii in the constellation of Aquarius. There are four meteor showers similar to Eta Aquariids which occur throughout the year – most notably, the Orionids meteor shower, which is also caused by the Halley's Comet debris trail and happens in October. But McElroy said meteor showers can also be a great gateway to look at the rest of the sky. 'A meteor shower is great, but we are blessed with fantastic skies in Australia, especially in the winter,' she said. 'We will be able to see whole band of Milky Way, and if you stay outside for longer, you'll see more and more fainter stars light up. You can look for the Southern Cross, spot some star clusters or the Emu constellation. 'Come for the meteors, stay for the Milky Way.'
Hindustan Times
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Disgraced Cardinal Becciu formally withdraws from participation in conclave to elect pope
The Italian cardinal at the heart of the Vatican's 'trial of the century' announced Tuesday he was withdrawing from participating in the upcoming conclave to elect a new pope for 'the good of the church.' Cardinal Angelo Becciu's status has dominated discussions in the days after Pope Francis' death amid questions about whether he would participate in the conclave to elect his successor. On Tuesday, the 76-year-old Italian issued a statement through his lawyers that said: 'Having at heart the good of the church, which I have served and will continue to serve with fidelity and love, as well as to contribute to the communion and serenity of the conclave, I have decided to obey as I have always done the will of Pope Francis not to enter the conclave while remaining convinced of my innocence.' Becciu was once an influential Vatican chief of staff who was a leading papal contender himself. But he fell from grace in 2020 when Francis forced him to resign his job as head of the Vatican's saint-making office and his rights as a cardinal because of allegations of financial misconduct. Becciu denied wrongdoing but was put on trial in the Vatican criminal court and convicted of finance-related charges in December 2023. He is appealing the conviction and 5 1/2-year prison sentence and had participated in the pre-conclave meetings, including on Monday. Becciu rose to prominence and power under conservative Pope Benedict XVI and is very much affiliated with the conservative Vatican old guard. While he initially became a close adviser to Pope Francis, Becciu's subsequent downfall at the hands of Francis might suggest he would vote for someone keen to undo some of Francis' reforms. At 76, Becciu is under the age limit of 80 and technically eligible to vote, but the Vatican's official statistics list him as a 'non-elector.' The Vatican document regulating a conclave, known by its Latin name Universi Dominici Gregis, lays out the criteria for electors, making clear that 80 cardinals under 80 have the right to elect the pope, except those who have been 'canonically deposed or who with the consent of the Roman Pontiff have renounced the cardinalate.' It adds that after a pope has died, 'the College of Cardinals cannot readmit or rehabilitate them.' There has never been any clarity on what exactly Becciu renounced or how: The one-line statement issued by the Vatican press office on Sept. 24, 2020, said merely that Francis had accepted Becciu's resignation as prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints 'and his rights connected to the cardinalate.' There is no indication he has been sanctioned canonically. After he forced Becciu's resignation, Francis visited Becciu on occasions and allowed him to participate in the life of the Vatican. But Francis also changed Vatican law to allow the city state's criminal tribunal to prosecute him. Italian daily Domani reported last week that during the initial pre-conclave discussions, Becciu was presented with two letters signed by Francis before he died indicating he should not participate in the conclave. Becciu's reference of Francis' will in his statement Tuesday suggests that the letters were the tipping point that convinced him to withdraw from the vote. Questions, meanwhile, have continued to swirl about the integrity of the trial that convicted Becciu and eight others. During the proceedings, the court heard that Francis intervened on several occasions on behalf of the prosecutors and that the prosecution's prime witness against Becciu was coached and manipulated by outsiders. The appeal is scheduled to begin in September.
