Eta Aquariids meteor shower to peak between May 4-6; here's all about it

Just a week after witnessing the Lyrid meteor shower, the Earth is bringing another similar celestial event this week. Called the Eta Aquariids, this meteor shower is expected to peak in the early hours of May 4, 5 and 6. According to EarthSky, the meteor shower would be visible in both northern and southern hemisphere countries, however, the visibility would be better in the southern part. 

Story of the Eta Aquariids

The Eta Aquariids are leftover pieces of the Halley’s Comet, which is famous for being visible from Earth every 76 years. Also called the 1P/Halley, this comet was last spotted from Earth in 1986 and won’t be visible again until mid-2061, according to NASA. As for the Eta Aquariids meteor shower, it results from our planet making a pass through the Halley comet's debris at this time of the year. Known for its radiance, the name Eta Aquariid is derived from its direction of origin- the constellation of Aquarius. 

Each year, the meteors peak around May 6 and offer the best viewing experience just before dawn. At its best, one can spot up to 30 meteors every hour although the visibility largely depends on the brightness of the moon. NASA says that the moon can reduce the visibility of these meteors to 20 per hour. 

How to watch the Eta Aquariids this year?

The best time to watch the Eta Aquariids meteor shower would be in the early hours of the said date. As mentioned above, the visibility would depend on the brightness of the moon as well as the location since the event will be better visible in countries located in the southern hemisphere. On the other hand, the meteor shower will appear fairly low in the sky and hence has been named "Earth grazers". The Eta Aquariids are meteors that travel at a staggering speed of 2,38,182 kilometres per hour.

In the coming months, our planet would witness several other meteor showers such as the Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids., which peak between July 28 and 29, the Perseid meteor shower in August and the Draconids meteor shower in August.