May 04, 2024
If people are seeking a cause to spend the weekend with their loved ones, the Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower is returning.
With 15 to 20 meteors per hour at its peak, depending on where you live in Australia, this meteor shower can dazzle early birds.
Moreover, the Eta Aquariid shower occurs every year in May as the Earth passes through the dust and gas left by Halley's Comet. The magnificent Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower is set to peak on Monday.
People are encouraged to wake up early if they want to witness one of the greatest meteor showers in the Southern Hemisphere.
Read more: The disappearance of the Moon — What would happen to Earth?
"Get up early in the morning, watch them over your morning coffee," Jonti Horner, an astronomer at the University of Southern Queensland, said.
"It's one of the ones that suits the early birds rather than the night owls," he added.
When can people witness Eta Aquariid Meteor Show?
The Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower will peak on the morning of May 6. However, scientists predict that there will be a lot of meteors each morning from May 5 to May 8, assuming the weather cooperates.
More meteors per hour will be seen in the darker sky this year since the shower coincides with the new moon.
"Although the peak is technically on the morning of May 6, there are better rates on May 7 when the tiny slice of the Moon is out of the way," amateur astronomer Ian Musgrave explained.
"The rates this year are much better than last year when the nearly full moon was camped near the radiant," he stated.
