The Eta Aquarid meteor shower, which occurs from late April to mid-May, offers a long stretch of spectacular shooting stars that even a casual observer can spot in the night sky.
The peak of the Eta Aquarid shower is expected to happen before dawn on May 5. You will need to schedule your time on May 4 and May 5.
In theory, this year's rates can reach up to 50 meteors per hour. If you can find a spot away from city lights, you can see more of the shower.
The Etas are not a shower that you can go out to see after sunset because the radiant won't be up, according to Space.com. You will need to get outside around 2 a.m. to see the Aquarids. The rates will increase until dawn.
The moon will shine about 15% full when the Eta Aquarids peak.
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One of the brighter stars in the constellation is called Eta Aquarii. The point of the meteors is called the radiant. If you are located in the mid-northern latitudes, you will need a dark-sky site with a relatively clear southern horizon to make the most of it.
Observers near the equator will have the best views since the constellation is more prominent in the southern sky. Even as far north as Miami, the view will be better than in New York or San Francisco. Skywatchers in the Southern Hemisphere will have the best view of the shower in the north. The winter season is approaching in the Southern Hemisphere as the June solstice, andObservers in the Northern Hemisphere will need to look lower on the southeastern horizon to see the meteors.
If you look straight at the radiant, you will see the same point where the Eta Aquarid meteors originate. If you don't, you will miss the streaks of bright light created by the meteors.
The best way to see the meteors is to lie on your back and look up. That way, you can see the sky without straining your neck.
Dust grains burn up in the atmosphere during a meteorite shower. They occur when the Earth crosses the paths of comets. They happen on certain dates and appear to come from a specific point in the sky. The path of the comet is associated with the Eta Aquarids.
When they come off the comet, they are at a slightly different speed, and that can change the comet's trajectory.
The Eta Aquarids don't produce as many meteors per hour as the more famous Perseid meteor shower in August, but they are just as bright. There is no chance that the meteorites will hit the ground. They are too small to survive the plunge through the atmosphere and the heat generated from the atmosphere obliterates the little pieces of space rock.
The space rocks that make it to the ground tend to be chunks of asteroids.
If you snap an amazing Eta Aquarid meteor shower photo that you would like to share with us and our news partners, send images and comments to us at spacephotos@
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