On the night of May 6, the sky will treat us to a meteor shower
On the night of May 5–6, the Eta Aquarid meteor shower will reach its peak. Under favorable conditions, observers may see up to several dozen “shooting stars” per hour, according to Space.com.
On the night of May 5–6, Ukrainians will be able to witness one of the most beautiful celestial events of this spring—the peak of the Eta Aquarid meteor shower. This is reported by Space.com. The shower has been active since April 19 and will continue until May 28, but its intensity will be at its peak on this particular night. According to astronomers, up to 50 meteors per hour can be seen in the dark sky.
The best time to watch the meteor shower is before dawn. At this time, the so-called radiant—the point from which the meteors “fly out”—rises highest above the horizon, and the chance of seeing bright flashes increases significantly.
The Eta Aquarids are known for their speed. The meteors streak across the sky at a speed of about 66 kilometers per second, leaving bright trails behind them. “Under ideal conditions, you can see dozens of meteors every hour,” note experts from the American Meteor Society.
This meteor shower has a special origin. It formed from the debris of the famous Halley’s Comet, which passes near Earth once every few decades. When our planet passes through the trail of these particles, they burn up in the atmosphere, creating the “shooting stars” effect. The shower’s name comes from the constellation Aquarius. That is where, when viewed from Earth, the meteors appear to be coming from.
To see the meteor shower, astronomers recommend choosing dark locations away from city lights, letting your eyes adjust to the darkness, and simply looking up at the sky without a telescope—that’s all you need to enjoy the spectacle.
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a detailed image of the spiral galaxy NGC 3137. It is located in the constellation Aquarius and contains a supermassive black hole.
