Look up: It's time for Eta Aquarid meteor shower

William Atkins
Tuesday, 05 May 2009 03:03

Science - Space

Tuesday evening/Wednesday morning, May 5-6, 2009, is expected to be the peak of the Aquarid meteors with up to 85 meteors per hour over the Southern Hemisphere. If you are in the Northern Hemispere, you'll see them, too!


People in Australia, New Zealand, South America, and southern Africa have the best spot to watch the meteors flying over the night sky in the Southern Hemisphere.

Although people in the Northern Hemisphere will also get a good chance to see the dusty debris left over from Halley’s Comet, their rate of meters at the peak will be only about 20 to 30 per hour.

So, look up into the eastern part of the dark night sky—in the middle of the constellations of Aquarius and Pegasus—between 2:00 and 2:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday morning for the peak of the Aquarids.

Don’t be surprised if you see a steady stream of luminosity following the head of the meteor. About one out of three may show this trait for about one second or so as they stream across the sky.

And, you’ll be able to see them to about one hour before dawn. After that, the Sun will begin to drown them out.

In addition, you’ll see the planet Jupiter in this eastern sky, for all of you in the Northern Hemisphere. In the southern half of Earth, in the mid-southern latitudes, you’ll also see the planets of Mars and Venus south of Jupiter.

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