Eta Aquarid meteor shower to light up skies this weekend

This weekend, the night sky will light up with the Eta Aquarid meteor shower , peaking overnight from Saturday (May 4) to Sunday (May 5), when the moon will be about 1% full.

Meteor showers are made up of the particles in a comet’s trail. The Eta Aquarids come from Halley’s Comet , which last passed through the inner solar system in 1986 . The astronomical phenomenon will not repeat itself until 2061.

This meteor shower is named after Eta Aquarii, the star from which the meteors appear to emanate, a spot known as the shower's radiant. Eta Aquarii is one of the four stars that form the top of the constellation Aquarius' water jar.

According to the American Meteor Society (AMS), most meteors will be visible from the Earth’s southern hemisphere. However, from the Equator to the Arctic Circle, around 10 to 30 meteors will appear in the night sky before dawn.

Tomorrow’s new moon will give skygazers an opportunity to see the meteors more clearly. Furthermore, the meteors will have a slow-paced peak throughout the week.

Skygazers should check the skies after 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. in their local time zones, when the radiant rises. The radiant should be highest close to dawn.

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