Bright bits of Halley’s Comet

Halley’s Comet is the most famous comet around. It returns to the earth’s vicinity as a blazing ball every 75 years or so; the last sighting was in 1986 and it is projected to return in 2061.

That’s a very long time to wait! In the meantime, see if you can spot fragments of Halley as the earth crosses paths with the comet twice a year.

As a comet moves through space, it sheds small pieces that trail in its orbit. The earth’s orbit crosses Halley’s in two places, which means that we also cross paths with its debris. When this happens, we see what is known as a meteor shower.

During a meteor shower, it seems as though all the meteors – or shooting stars as we like to call them – originate from the same point in the night sky. We call this the “radiant” or “point of origin”.

The constellation nearest the radiant determines the name of the meteor shower.

The two meteor showers caused by Halley’s Comet occur in Orion in October and in Aquarius in May. Hence, they’re the “Orionids” and “Eta Aquariids” respectively.

Eta Aquariids will be the most spectacular of the year, with up to 50 meteors per hour. It will occur on the morning of 5 May 2024, between 3.30 am and 5.30 am.

The best way to watch a meteor shower is with your naked eye. Find a comfortable spot in a dark place with a good view of the eastern horizon and keep count of how many meteors you see per hour.

Enjoy the show!