The Eta Aquariids meteor shower, photographed from Chile. Photo: Petr Horálek, Wikimedia Commons.
You’ll have to get up well before the birds, but Thursday morning (8 May) could be the best time you’ll have this year to make a wish.
‘Eta Aquariids’, essentially bits of rock that have come off Halley’s Comet over the millennia, is a meteor shower visible from Earth every year between April and late May.
It gets its name from the constellation Aquarius, and one of its brightest stars, Eta Aquarii, because it’s seen in the same part of the night sky.
ANU astrophysicist Dr Brad Tucker describes it as “one of the best annual meteor showers of the year for the Southern Hemisphere”.
He says Australian viewers can expect to see 10 to 20 meteors – or shooting stars – per hour between 2 am and 4 am.
“However, this can be random, so you can get a bunch all at once, then a gap, so make sure to look for a while as they will come,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
“To maximise your chance at seeing the meteors, you want as clear a view to the north as possible, and in the darkest spot possible – especially away from any nearby lights.
The shower is best seen between 2 am and 4 am. Photo: Dr Brad Tucker, Facebook.
“Head to an oval, park, or somewhere even darker. The darker your location is, the more meteors you will see.
“This year should be a good year as the moon won’t be up, so the sky should be nice and dark to spot them!”
Unlike other cosmic events, a naked eye is fine – you won’t need any special equipment. It will also be visible across Australia.
“This meteor shower is one for everyone,” Dr Tucker says.
“As long as you can get up in the early hours of the morning, it doesn’t matter where you live, you should be able to see it!”
