One of the fastest meteor showers of the year is nearly upon us, astronomers say.
Up to 50 ‘shooting stars’ per hour will streak through the night sky when the Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks in early May.
Eta Aquarids are known for their impressive speed, traveling at about 66 kilometres per second (238,000 kph or 148,000mph) into Earth’s atmosphere.
To find them, stargazers are advised to look southwards towards the constellation Aquarius between midnight and dawn.
They can be seen with the naked eye so there’s no need for binoculars or a telescope, though you will need to allow your eyes to adjust to the dark.
The meteors are best viewed in Australia because they rise to about 50 degrees in the sky, which is the best angle from which to view the shooting stars.
Here’s what you need to know about the Eta Aquarids shower, which takes place between April 19 and May 28, but is expected to peak in Australian skies between May 5 and 7.
How to view the Eta Aquarids meteor shower?
To view the Eta Aquarids find an area well away from city lights or street lights.
‘Come prepared with a sleeping bag, blanket, or lawn chair – lie flat on your back with your feet facing east and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible,’ NASA says.
Eta Aquariids are known for their speed – traveling at about 148,000 mph (238,000 kph) into Earth’s atmosphere. They are named after the constellation Aquarius as they fall from that point in the sky and specifically the star Eta Aquarii
A composite taken over three nights using two cameras, of the Eta Aquariids Meteor Shower in 2013
Because meteors can be quite faint, keen astronomers need to get away from metropolitan areas.
‘As with almost every shower, try and find a wide open space, as far from city lights as possible and fill your view with as much of the night sky as possible,’ said Dr Greg Brown, public astronomy officer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich.
Do not worry if they are not instantly visible; Nasa says it takes about 30 minutes in the dark for your eyes to adapt and you will begin to see the meteors.
Be patient – the show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse.
Cloud cover can often spoil any chances of seeing meteor showers.
What time is the Eta Aquarids meteor shower?
To view the comets, look up in the early mornings, right before dawn. NASA suggests trying to see the show between 3am and 5am your local time in an area away from city lights.
Other interesting things about Eta Aquarids
Eta Aquariids are named after the constellation Aquarius as they fall from that point in the sky – specifically the star Eta Aquarii.
An image of an Eta Aquarid meteor from the NASA All Sky Fireball Network station in Tullahoma, Tennessee, in May 2013
The Eta Aquarids peak during early May each year. Eta Aquarid meteors are known for their speed. These meteors are fast, traveling at about 66 km/s into Earth’s atmosphere
The cosmic display is the result of Earth passing through a cloud of debris left behind by Halley’s Comet during its last journey through the inner solar system in 1986.
‘If the Earth passes through the comet’s orbit any material deposited by the comet could become meteors or shooting stars in the sky,’ said Don Pollacco, a physics professor at the University of Warwick.
‘These bodies are usually the size of dust particles but when they fall into the Earth’s atmosphere, they are traveling so fast that they are vapourised.
‘Along the path that the dust particle travels, the gas molecules are superheated and give out light – this is a meteor.
‘We don’t actually see the dust, instead its vapourised effects on the molecules.’
As the Earth is crossing the comet orbit, the meteors seem to be coming from the same direction – a point in the sky known as the radiant.
Explained: The difference between an asteroid, meteorite and other space rocks
An asteroid is a large chunk of rock left over from collisions or the early solar system. Most are located between Mars and Jupiter in the Main Belt.
A comet is a rock covered in ice, methane and other compounds. Their orbits take them much further out of the solar system.
A meteor is what astronomers call a flash of light in the atmosphere when debris burns up.
This debris itself is known as a meteoroid. Most are so small they are vapourised in the atmosphere.
If any of this meteoroid makes it to Earth, it is called a meteorite.
Meteors, meteoroids and meteorites normally originate from asteroids and comets.
For example, if Earth passes through the tail of a comet, much of the debris burns up in the atmosphere, forming a meteor shower.