eta Aquariid Meteor Shower: Our cosmos is filled with wonderful wonders. There are numerous secrets in our own solar system that we are currently unaware of, and solving these mysteries will be difficult in the foreseeable future. On the night of Buddha Purnima, one such miracle will be witnessed. Meteorites will be observed raining in the sky before the moon eclipse tonight. It will appear as a trail of lights and will be visible indefinitely.
What is eta Aquariid Meteor Shower?
Every year in April-May, this meteor comes fairly close to the Earth. It is closest to the Earth every year, especially soon before May 5. At that point, its minute fragments are drawn towards the earth by the earth’s gravitational attraction. Their average speed is 148000 miles (238182 km) per hour.
Meanwhile, they enter the Earth’s atmosphere and begin to burn due to friction caused by their rapid speed. At the time, it appears as if a train-like object of light is approaching the Earth. These can appear anywhere between a few seconds and a few minutes. NASA has also provided information in this regard via a tweet.
The eta Aquariid meteor shower is expected to reach its peak tonight (May 4-5)—and even with the full Moon, it could still be a great night for skywatching!
---Advertisement---Here’s how, where and when to track the eta Aquariids: https://t.co/7elIWZ0XcA pic.twitter.com/3ohsrF4Xyo
— NASA (@NASA) May 4, 2023
A meteor shower has roughly 50-60 meteors speeding towards Earth per hour, according to Bill Cook, chief of NASA’s Meteorite Environment Office at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Centre in Huntsville, Alabama. These manifest as an explosive thunderstorm, which can be seen from Earth at sunset on May 5. Approximately 120 to 160 bits of Eta Aquarid enter the Earth’s atmosphere at this time.
At the time, it appears that fireballs are raining down on the ground. However, when compared to other meteor showers, this year’s Eta Aquarid meteor shower is unremarkable. Data from NASA cameras ranked it sixth among meteor showers in terms of creating fireballs.
What will you see during eta Aquariid Meteor Shower?
If you wish to watch this meteorite rain, it will be visible on May 5 from midnight until before morning.
The Eta Aquarid meteor shower will be visible in both the northern and southern hemispheres of the Earth around this time. To see it, though, you must travel to a lonely village or woodland where there is no evidence of light.
Due to the glare of artificial lights in towns, the meteor shower will be practically hard to view. The most important point is that if you are in the appropriate spot, you will be able to see it even without a telescope or any other equipment.
