Meteor Shower will be visible in the beginning of May!!! Here is how and when to spot It.. ;)
March and April have already proven to be a boon for Star gazers, as the night and Morning sky has been offering some spectacular views of meteor showers, planet alignments and constellations.
All these are more clearly visible owing to the lack of pollution due to the Coronavirus lockdown. The beginning of may comes with another shower of meteors that are not difficult to spot.
What is Meteor Shower?
A meteor shower is a celestial event in which a number of meteors are observed to radiate, or originate, from one point in the night sky called Radiant. These meteors are caused by streams of cosmic debris called meteoroids entering earth's atmosphere at extremely high speed on parallel trajectories.
The meteor shower 'Eta Aquariids' will be easy to observe and provide the most activity and it is currently active until Thursday 28th May 2020.
The eta Aquariids will peak on Tuesday 5th May 2020. On this night, the moon will be 91% full.
What is this 'Eta Aquariids' Meteor Shower?
The Eta Aquariids are an annual meteor shower associated with the periodic Halley's Comet.
As the space rock races around the Sun, bits and pieces of the comet break off and are left behind in this trail. The earth happens to cross paths with the comet's orbit between mid- April and the end of May.
When Comets come around the Sun, they leave a dusty trail behind them.
Meteors come from leftover comet particles and bits from broken asteroids. According to NASA, the meteors crisscross the skies at speed of about 44 miles(66km) per second.
Every year the Earth passes through these debris trails, the orbital debris then slams into our atmosphere at great speeds which allows the bits to collide with our atmosphere where they disintegrate to create fiery and colorful streaks in the sky.
How to see the Eta Aquariid meteor shower?
The Eta Aquariid are usually best seen on the night of their peak, which is spread across one or two nights.
But due to full-moon this year we won't be able to catch this easily.
Scientist predict it can be seen best in this weekend on May 2 and May 3. As the earth crosses the densest part of the comet's debris field in the early May.
NASA said: "The Eta Aquariid are viwable in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres during the pre-dawn hours.
The Southern hemisphere is preferable for viewing the Eta Aquariids". However this shower will be at its peak on 5 May.
The Northern Hemisphere has an hourly rate of only about 10 meteors. In a dark Sky the Eta Aquariids can produce up to 20 to 40 meteors per hour.
This particular shower usually favors the Southern Hemisphere, and is one of the finest showers of the year there- in a year where moon is not hindering the show.
There are, however, some tips you can follow for meteor-hunting this weekend. Meteor showers are best seen in pitch black darkness and far away from the city lights. Light pollution is the biggest enemy of meteors sight. Particularly now when there is coronavirus lockdown in place, you might simply have to go on your terrace or garden in the wee morning hours.
"Come prepared with sleeping stuffs, blanket. Lie flat on your back with feet facing east and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible."
After about 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will see the meteors.
"Be Patient - the show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse."
Source: NASA, Indiatimes
All these are more clearly visible owing to the lack of pollution due to the Coronavirus lockdown. The beginning of may comes with another shower of meteors that are not difficult to spot.
What is Meteor Shower?
A meteor shower is a celestial event in which a number of meteors are observed to radiate, or originate, from one point in the night sky called Radiant. These meteors are caused by streams of cosmic debris called meteoroids entering earth's atmosphere at extremely high speed on parallel trajectories.
The meteor shower 'Eta Aquariids' will be easy to observe and provide the most activity and it is currently active until Thursday 28th May 2020.
The eta Aquariids will peak on Tuesday 5th May 2020. On this night, the moon will be 91% full.
 |
| Meteor Shower |
What is this 'Eta Aquariids' Meteor Shower?
The Eta Aquariids are an annual meteor shower associated with the periodic Halley's Comet.
As the space rock races around the Sun, bits and pieces of the comet break off and are left behind in this trail. The earth happens to cross paths with the comet's orbit between mid- April and the end of May.
When Comets come around the Sun, they leave a dusty trail behind them.
Meteors come from leftover comet particles and bits from broken asteroids. According to NASA, the meteors crisscross the skies at speed of about 44 miles(66km) per second.
Every year the Earth passes through these debris trails, the orbital debris then slams into our atmosphere at great speeds which allows the bits to collide with our atmosphere where they disintegrate to create fiery and colorful streaks in the sky.
 |
| Eta Aquariids 2020: How to spot it this weekend |
How to see the Eta Aquariid meteor shower?
The Eta Aquariid are usually best seen on the night of their peak, which is spread across one or two nights.
But due to full-moon this year we won't be able to catch this easily.
Scientist predict it can be seen best in this weekend on May 2 and May 3. As the earth crosses the densest part of the comet's debris field in the early May.
NASA said: "The Eta Aquariid are viwable in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres during the pre-dawn hours.
The Southern hemisphere is preferable for viewing the Eta Aquariids". However this shower will be at its peak on 5 May.
The Northern Hemisphere has an hourly rate of only about 10 meteors. In a dark Sky the Eta Aquariids can produce up to 20 to 40 meteors per hour.
This particular shower usually favors the Southern Hemisphere, and is one of the finest showers of the year there- in a year where moon is not hindering the show.
There are, however, some tips you can follow for meteor-hunting this weekend. Meteor showers are best seen in pitch black darkness and far away from the city lights. Light pollution is the biggest enemy of meteors sight. Particularly now when there is coronavirus lockdown in place, you might simply have to go on your terrace or garden in the wee morning hours.
"Come prepared with sleeping stuffs, blanket. Lie flat on your back with feet facing east and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible."
After about 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will see the meteors.
"Be Patient - the show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse."
Source: NASA, Indiatimes
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