Yahoo Finance Eta Aquarids meteor shower 2021: Australia expecting to see spectacular display of shooting stars
Shooting stars will light up the early morning sky across Australia this coming weekend.
Those willing to brave the cold over the next few days will be rewarded with a spectacular show of streaking lights.
The Eta Aquarids meteor shower should be visible to much of the southern hemisphere on Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning, and unlike previous meteor showers such as the recent Lyrids, should put on a good light show.
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The showers will be at their most visible between 3am and 5am each day, when the meteors are expected to fan out from a spot above the north-eastern horizon.
Astronomer Dr Brad Tucker from the Australian National University said the meteor shower arises as Earth passes through dust trails – bits of rock and ice – left behind by Halley’s comet over thousands of years.
“These chunks of ice and rock hurtle through space at incredible speed and then burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere.
“It makes for an incredible display of streaking, bright lights and is one of the best meteor showers you will see all year.”
The meteor shower will likely be affected by moonlight, reducing visibility compared with previous years, but with Jupiter and Saturn also likely to be visible, it appears the heavens will be putting on a show for the weekend.
“The meteor shower will be visible right across Australia,” Tucker said. “In the dark, you can expect to see 15 to 20 shooting stars per hour in city locations.”
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The shower would have been difficult to see on Thursday morning due to its proximity to the waning crescent moon, which would have obscured it.
“The best time to see the meteors will be from 2:30am to 3am local time,” Tucker said.
“There will be a thin crescent moon in sky but it won’t be that bright, which means the sky should be pretty nice and dark.
“Looking further away from the moon will allow you to see fainter meteors.”
Although everyone in Australia should be able to see the light show, those living further north should be treated to a higher rate of meteors.
And for those outside a city, they will be treated to views of the Milky Way stretching up across the sky.
Tucker is encouraging people to take in the spectacular show, with or without a telescope.
“And you don’t need a telescope. Look up, and let your eyes soak in the display.”
