Eta Aquarid, will reach its annual peak of activity during the evening of May 5 and the following morning.
This is an annual show, which is generated by debris left behind from Halley ’s Comet.
Meteors is caused when the Earth orbiting around the sun runs into debris left behind by a comet.
Eta Aquarids are caused when the Earth runs into debris left by the best known Halley’s Comet.
The event occurs annually in the first week of May.
It is delight to see the event under dark sky, this event is the easiest astronomical event to watch as it does not require any special equipment to catch its view.
To view the event observers need to move to an area where there are no street lights and city lights, and where it is possible to see sky low to east and south.
The event is best seen from northern tropics and southern hemisphere, but some shooting stars will be visible shooting up off the horizon, looking like rockets lifting up the ground.
Observers in Southern Hemisphere can witness 60 shooting stars within an hour, whereas in Northern Hemisphere only one meteor is visible every two to six minutes.
The event is named after a 4th magnitude star in the constellation Aquarius. The star has nothing to do with shower except that.
Eta Auarii is 156 light years away from Earth and 44 times brighter than our sun.
The shooting stars race through the atmosphere at shallow angles, providing a long trail as they seem to slowly cross the sky.
The meteors can come from anywhere in the sky but be centered towards the east at night and towards south after dawn.
The Orionid meteor shower in October is also due to experience Halley’s Comet, as Earth passes through the debris on each side of its orbit around the sun.
