The Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks tonight — here’s how to see it

If you’ve sewage clear skies and want an excuse to get distant from town, nan Eta Aquarid meteor ablution is astir astatine its highest and should beryllium going beardown tonight. Made up of remnants of Halley’s Comet that nan Earth passes through, this yearly ablution is progressive from April 15th to May 27th and tin show up astatine a complaint of astir 10–30 meteors per hour, according to nan American Meteor Society.

You tin spot nan Aquarids starting astir 2AM section clip successful nan Northern Hemisphere, radiating from nan Aquarius constellation (though you’ll want to look 40–60 degrees astir Aquarius to spot them). Weather permitting, conditions are beautiful bully for watching them since nan satellite is successful its precocious waning play and won’t beryllium reflecting overmuch light. Try to scheme your stargazing spot utilizing a light contamination map aliases by checking pinch your section astronomical nine for tips connected nan champion places to spell for unfettered viewing.

As NASA writes, Eta Aquarid is viewable arsenic “Earthgrazers,” aliases “long meteors that look to skim nan aboveground of nan Earth astatine nan horizon.” They’re fast-moving, walking astatine complete 40 miles per second.

You tin bring binoculars aliases a scope if you want to look astatine nan stars, too, but you tin spot meteors pinch your naked eye, and trying to look for them pinch binoculars limits your section of position excessively overmuch to beryllium practical. Be judge to spell easy connected your cervix pinch a reclining chair aliases thing to laic on, too; dense is nan caput that watches nan stars. And dress appropriately, since it’s often chillier retired successful nan state than successful nan metropolis astatine night.

Finally, beryllium patient. It tin return astir 30 minutes for your eyes to set to nan acheronian capable to spot meteors. Once they do, assuming you’re successful a acheronian capable place, you should beryllium capable to spot not conscionable nan meteors, but plentifulness of stars and moreover satellites arsenic they move crossed nan sky.

Halley’s Comet comes around, inconveniently for most, only erstwhile each 76 years. The past clip it showed its tail for Earth-dwellers was successful 1986, erstwhile I was 3 years old, and it won’t beryllium present again until 2061, erstwhile I’m 78 (if I’m moreover still alive). Very rude. But astatine slightest we get to spot immoderate of nan junk it leaves behind.