#Eta #Aquariid #Meteor #Shower #Reaches #Peak #Today
CNN Indonesia
Monday, 06 May 2024 08:45 WIB
Illustration. The Eta Aquariid meteor shower will reach its peak today, Monday (6/5) early morning. (Photo: AFP/ROBERT ATANASOVSKI)
Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Meteor Rain Eta Aquarid will reach its peak today, Monday (6/5) early morning. Check the complete peak schedule celestial phenomenon This.
The Eta Aquariid meteor shower is active from April 19 to May 28 every year. However, the peak will only occur in one to two nights.
According to EarthSky, the Eta Aquariid meteor shower is expected to peak in the early hours of Sunday and Monday. Experts recommend observing the sky between 2 and 5 a.m. local time, citing CNN.
Meanwhile, according to the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), the Aquariid meteor shower can be seen in Indonesia on Monday and Tuesday (6-7 May).
The Eta Aquariid shower is often considered the best meteor shower of the year in the Southern Hemisphere, where skywatchers can see between 20 and 40 meteors every hour, or even more. Meanwhile, according to NASA, in the Northern Hemisphere, observers can see between 10 and 20 meteors in the hours before dawn.
This space phenomenon is one of two meteor showers that originate from the debris from Halley’s Comet.
The Earth crosses the path of this comet’s orbit every April and May, causing small grains of rock and dust ejected by the comet to hit our planet’s atmosphere and create meteor showers. This happens again in October, producing the Orionid meteor shower.
Halley’s Comet was last seen passing through Earth’s night sky in 1986, and it will pass again in 2061 on its 76-year journey around the sun.
The meteors appear to come from the northeastern part of the constellation Aquarius, which contributes to the meteor shower’s name.
The American Meteor Society said the rate of meteors seen per hour this year is expected to be increased by debris disturbed by Jupiter in a direction closer to Earth.
“The last time this happened was in 2013, when the rate of meteors increased significantly,” they said.
Astronomers anticipated a higher rate of Eta Aquariid last year, but the full moon outshone the meteors. Additionally, scientists cannot verify whether the increase occurred.
However, the American Meteor Society said that with no Moon interference on the horizon, the rate of visible meteors could double if this increase occurred.
To see the Aquariid meteor shower, look for an open area with a wide view of the sky. Give your eyes about 20 to 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness, without looking at your phone, so that the meteors are easier to see.
(tim/dmi)
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