The Eta Aquarid 2020 meteor shower peaks this week. Here is how to see it.

Related: Eta Aquarid 2020 meteor shower: when, where and how to see it

First sighted in 1870

Unlike some of the other annual meteorite exhibits whose history dates back hundreds or thousands of years, the Eta Aquarids were not “officially” discovered until the late 19th century. In 1870, while sailing in the Mediterranean Sea, Lt. Col. G.L. Tupman saw 15 meteors on the morning of April 30 and another 13 a few mornings later. All the meteors seemed to emanate from the constellation Aquarius.

Then, in 1876, Professor Alexander Stewart Herschel deduced that Halley’s Comet’s orbit almost coincided with Earth’s orbit around May 4, and that if we came across remnants of comets capable of producing meteorites, those streaks of light would appear emanate from the Aquarius neighborhood. .

Herschel immediately noted that Tupman’s observations were very close to his prediction. In the years that followed, an increasing number of other astronomers and observers also noted similarities between Halley’s Comet orbits and the Eta Aquarid current.

These streaks of light are produced by material that originated in the nucleus of Halley’s Comet. This cosmic wanderer has traveled around the sun countless times over the centuries, each time leaving behind dust and sand similar in consistency and texture to cigarette ash; Every encounter with the Eta Aquarids brings with it the footprints of a famous visitor from the depths of space, and quite possibly the dawn of creation.

Related: Photos of Halley’s Comet through history

You won’t see many meteors

In their book “Observing Meteors: The Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers Meteorite Observers Guide” (Astronomical League, 1986), authors David Levy and Stephen Edberg wrote about Eta Aquarids: “These meteorites appear as fast streaks (average velocity , 41 miles) or 66 km / sec.) The brightest leave long-lasting trains. Since they are in the departure section of their orbits, these meteors arrive mainly in daylight, therefore the observation interval Night is short and occurs just before sunrise. “

Because these meteors appear to radiate from a low position on the eastern horizon to the northern mid-latitudes, observers in the tropics are better positioned. South of the equator, this is one of the best meteor showers of the year, producing up to 60 an hour. Under the most favorable conditions in the southern United States, a dozen or more meteors per hour can be seen from the Eta Aquarid swarm. But observers of the northern mid-latitudes can only see about half.

Eta Aquarids are around for about a week. They are slated to peak in Tuesday morning (May 5). Since the bright moon is only two days from full phase, it will light up the sky throughout the night, probably silencing everyone but the brightest celestial light rays. So, you might wonder what it’s like to get up before sunrise to watch.

The answer is that you could still see something spectacular.

Grazing the atmosphere

For most, perhaps the best hope is to catch a glimpse of a meteor emerging from the radiant that will skim our atmosphere horizontally, just as a flat rock can be made to slide across the top of a lake or pond.

Regular observers of meteorites refer to meteorites as “Earthgrazers”, and they have a propensity to produce fairly colorful and durable trails. Such meteors produce unusually long paths and most of the time seem to move across the sky from a fairly low point to the horizon.

Unfortunately, they also tend to be few and far between. But if you only see one, it will be more than justifying you get out of bed and venture outside at dawn.

Halley’s next comeback

Halley’s Comet is nearing the end of its orbit (aphelion). It will arrive there on December 8, 2023 and then begin its long trek back towards the sun, reaching its closest point on July 28, 2061. It is expected to put on a good show in the night sky during August of that year. , hanging in the western sky after sunset, shining with the brilliance of a star of the first magnitude, possibly even brighter. Its gauze tail consisting of gas and dust, should point almost directly from the horizon.

If you’re among those around in 1986 when the comet made its most recent appearance, or didn’t see it, or if it did, chances are you weren’t impressed with the sight.

Related: A gift from Halley’s Comet: the Eta Aquarid meteor shower in photos

I remember being at a kite observation held on Jones Beach, Long Island, on a cold Saturday night in January of that year. There was a long line of people waiting to take a look at this famous object through my 10-inch telescope and as each person looked through the eyepiece, I made a comment on what they were seeing. What I remember most is a comment made by a young woman who described what she was seeing as a “smile”. I asked her what a smile was, and she said, “It’s a cross between a stain and a stain.”

Unfortunately, Halley’s return in 1986 was his worst appearance in 2,000 years: when it was at its brightest, the comet was on the other side of the sun as seen from Earth, making it appear much smaller and dimmer in Compared to its previous appearance in 1910 when it got so close to Earth that it possibly even brushed its tail at us.

A final thought

Robert S. Richardson (1902-1981) was on the staff of the Mount Wilson and Palomar Observatories, and later Associate Director of the Griffith Observatory and Planetarium in Los Angeles. In 1967, he wrote a book, “Meeting Comets” (McGraw Hill, New York) and dedicated a chapter to Halley’s Comet. He ended that chapter by asking his readers to imagine that the comet is a living organism endowed with superhuman powers of perception. And yet, he reflected, when it comes to Earth every three-quarters of a century, it finds a planet almost always engaged in war or revolution.

“Earth is the most favored planet in the solar system,” reflects the book, “a planet neither too hot nor too cold, blessed with lots of oxygen and water, and an excellent satellite to keep you company. How wonderful the earth is. the world could be … if it weren’t for the people! ”