Comet Halley Plays Bit Part In Weekend Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower

[Binary_Bark]

Watch for the Eta Aquarid shower this week, so called because meteors will appear to radiate from near the star Eta Aquarii. The meteors originate from fragments of Halley’s Comet strewn about its orbit. Every May, Earth crosses the stream and we get a meteor shower. At maximum on Saturday morning May 6, 25-30 meteors per hour might be seen from the right location under dark skies. Map: Bob King, Source: Stellarium​

Halley’s Comet may be at the far end of its orbit 3.2 billion miles (5.1 billion km) from Earth, but this week fragments of it will burn up as meteors in the pre-dawn sky as the Eta Aquarid meteor shower. The comet last passed our way in 1986, pivoted about the Sun and began the long return journey to the chilly depths of deep space.

Full Story: https://www.universetoday.com/135322/comet-halley-plays-bit-part-weekend-eta-aquarid-meteor-shower/

 

[skylix001]

Will this be seen in the south?

 

[Binary_Bark]

Will this be seen in the south?

Follow the link and read the full article

For best viewing, find as dark a place as possible with an open view to the east and south

 

[skylix001]

I don't want to read.

 

[Binary_Bark]

I don't want to read.

Don't be lazy and a eks

 

[Creag]

Don't be lazy and a eks

Sounds more like: "you can take a horse to water and it won't drink... of course unless you drown it".

 

[TribbleZA]

So 3:30 am is a good time to be up

 

[Aquila ka Hecate]

So 3:30 am is a good time to be up

An excellent time - but I would say that, as I'm always up and about by then

The radiant for this shower should be a bit more accessible from South Africa than from Europe or North America, as Aquarius, being a zodiacal constellation, rides higher in our skies.

But then again, bar one fine night a couple of weeks ago, when most of Joburg was out of town on easter hols, the seeing continues to be absolutely ****ty these days.

 

[TribbleZA]

Hopefully we won't have clouds. That would be depressing