Sydney stargazers, this one’s for you. This week, the sky above Sydney will come alive with an extremely bright meteor shower that goes by the name of Eta Aquariid. The annual meteor shower – which is formed from debris from Halley’s comet – will light up the sky above NSW from tonight (Monday, May 5) until Wednesday, May 7, peaking early on Wednesday morning. Those mid-week meetings might suffer, but it’ll be worth it.
What is the Eta Aquarids meteor shower?
The Eta Aquarid shower is a fast-moving and notoriously unpredictable celestial show that occurs when the Earth passes through the debris left behind by the better-known Halley’s Comet. What makes the Eta Aquarid particularly spectacular is its speed, with the meteors travelling at around 50 kilometres per second.
Every year, the Eta Aquarids typically light up the skies between April 19 and May 28, with peak activity usually occurring in early to mid-May.
How can I see the Eta Aquariids meteor shower from Sydney?
From 2am until 5.40am from tonight (Monday, May 5) until Wednesday, May 7 look to the eastern skies and you should begin to see a sporadic smattering of asteroids lighting up the sky. The key word here is sporadic: meteor showers are notoriously hard to predict. You might find yourself staring at the sky for a long time before suddenly catching several sparkly spectacles in a row. The best way to see them from Sydney is to scan the northern horizon near the point of the Aquarius constellation where the meteors are set to emerge from (for help on this one, you might want to turn to a constellation map app, or turn to the experts at Blue Mountains Stargazing).
When will the Eta Aquariids meteor shower be at its peak?
The meteor shower is set to reach its maximum around 2am on May 7.
You’re going to want to set those alarms, rug up and head outside. It's not every night that you get to bear witness to a 2000-year-old celestial show.
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