Eta Aquarid Meteors
Tag: Eta Aquarids
Meteor shower tonight
(Photo courtesy of NASA)
Look up tonight. The Eta Aquarids, named for the constellation Aquarius from where they seem to radiate, has been shooting stars since April 19 and will continue to do so through May 28 but their peak is this weekend.
They have been known to reach 50 meteors per hour. Although they can be seen in both hemispheres, they are supposed to be easier to catch in the southern hemisphere.
Their parent comet is 1P/Halley but for more information visit Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower 2024 (timeanddate.com)
Sky Watch: Partial solar followed by full lunar eclipse and meteorites
Unless you are in the Southern Hemisphere, particularly the southern part of South America, the afternoon of April 30 you won’t be seeing a partial solar eclipse live. But you can watch online and you will be getting updates from news channels.
According to Space.com, you can see this solar event on the YouTube channel of the India-based Gyaan ki gareebi Live . It will begin broadcasting the eclipse at 1:45 p.m. EDT (1745 GMT).
Of course you know a solar eclipse happens when the moon’s orbit sends the sphere between the sun and earth. You can become more informed on this particular eclipse at Time and Date and at Time and Date’s Partial Solar eclipse coverage.
The partial solar eclipse is also the forerunner of a lunar eclipse happening May 15-16 in both hemispheres. Time and Date has a good map and timetable of the area covered.
In the Chicago area watch the lunar eclipse on May 15th from its very early onset at 8:32 p.m. through May 16 at 12:55 a.m. Chicago’s Adler Planetarium has a good description of what to expect.
For full moon observers, this is the Flower Moon. and yes, it coincides with the lunar eclipse. For more information visit the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
If that isn’t enough, May also hosts the peak of the Eta Aquarids. The meteorites peak with up to 50 meteorites per hour May 5-6 in 2022 although they have already started. They are named for their radiant (where they seem to emerge) at the constellation Aquarius.
Happy sky watching!
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Meteorites fly very early May 6
If looking up before dawn Sunday, May 6, 2019 you may “catch” a falling star, except it really would be one of the Eta Aquarids meteorites.
Between 30 to 50 of these meteorites, seemingly shooting from a poin(the radiant) just north of Aquarius, is a shower of debris from the Halley Comet. The second Halley Comet meteor shower is the Orionids which peak about Oct. 20.
Where to look east by south east past (east of) Pegasus north of Aquarius
Need away from street and commercial lights. Should be good viewing, new moon had may 4 so just emerging into first quarter.
A good site to use for meteor showers is Time and Date., https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/meteor-shower/eta-aquarids.html