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ETA AQUARID METEOR SHOWER
Posted at 8:05 PM, May 04, 2020
and last updated 2020-05-04 20:05:55-04

*Courtesy of NASA

The Eta Aquarids are one of two meteor showers that occur due to the fragments left by Halley's Comet. It was name due to the apparent proximity to the constellation Aquarius, more specifically though, to one of Aquarius' brightest stars, Eta Aquarii. The other shower, Orionids, occurs in October.

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The showers have been active since late last month-- but it reaches its peak during the pre-dawn hours May 5th. You can experience the best show possible if you go outside around 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. and gaze somewhat away from the radiant in the constellation Aquarius. In the northern hemisphere we can expect 10-30 meteors per hours, with locations closer to the equator (and southwards) seeing as many as 40. We're in a waxing gibbous phase, which means that roughly 90% of the moon is visible, which doesn't bode well for us being that the best time to look is just before dawn, when there is least amount of light from the moon to obstruct the view.

*Courtesy of NASA