This annual meteor shower occurs when Earth passes through dusty debris left behind by Halley’s Comet on its journey around the sun.
By Adam Kovac edited by Claire Cameron
NASA/MSFC/B. To cook
It’s May, which means the trees are greener, the days are longer, and the nights are a little warmer. It’s perfect for spotting a meteor shower, and not just any shower: the Eta Aquarids reach their peak this week, May 5-6.
Meteor showers are the magnificent product of cosmic debris. As Earth orbits the sun, it passes through a trail of dust and rocks falling from asteroids and comets as they, too, circle the star. When this debris hits Earth’s atmosphere, it burns up, creating bright shooting stars that appear to streak across the sky.
Eta Aquarids, also called Eta Aquariids, get their name from the point in the sky where they appear to originate: an area near Eta Aquarii, the brightest star in the constellation Aquarius. But the meteors are actually generated by Halley’s Comet, also known as Comet 1P/Halley. It takes its name from the astronomer and mathematician Edmond Halley, friend of Isaac Newton. In 1705, Halley published a paper using Newton’s theories of gravity to show that the comet was periodic: it returns to the inner solar system approximately every 76 years, at which time it can be seen from Earth with the naked eye.
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Halley observed the comet itself in 1682but this has been seen throughout history; the first recorded observation was made by Chinese astronomers in 240 BCE. Perhaps one of the most historically famous cases was that of 1066 CE, when the comet was spotted by skywatchers in England and interpreted as an omen predicting the Anglo-Saxon king’s subsequent defeat at the Battle of Hastings by William the Conqueror of Normandy. The episode was commemorated in a medieval work of art known as the Bayeux Tapestry.
The comet represented by the Bayeux Tapestry, constructed in the 1070s CE
Public domain
It’s been 40 years since Halley’s Comet passed through the inner solar system, and it won’t happen again until 2061. In 1986, the European Space Agency’s Giotto spacecraft returned images of the comet’s core, and two probes from the Soviet Union and two Japanese spacecraft also photographed the comet that year.
Comet Halley seen by the European Space Agency’s Giotto probe in 1986.
ESA
The annual Eta Aquarid shower is best observed each year in early and mid-May. At its peak, skywatchers can expect to see up to 50 meteors per hour under optimal conditions, although NASA warns that fainter meteors could be eclipsed by moonlight this year.
These meteors are known for their rapid speed, streaking across the sky at a speed of 40 miles per second. This makes for particularly spectacular visuals: meteors leave trails of light that can be seen an instant after the first flash of light.
For the best viewing experience, sit in a dark place away from artificial lights. Wait about 20 minutes to let your eyes adjust to the dark; this means avoiding bright lights such as your phone screen. Meteors will be most visible from the Northern Hemisphere on May 5 and 6, in the pre-dawn hours, so be sure to face the east and look up before sunrise and enjoy the show.
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