METEOR WATCH I Improved prospects
THIS IS THE YEAR to watch the Eta Aquariid meteor shower. In addition to a favorable Moon (New Moon occurs May 7), Earth passes very close to a stream of debris ejected by Halley’s Comet (the shower’s parent object) about 3,000 years ago.
The shower is active from April 19 through May 28 and peaks on May 5. The radiant lies near Zeta (ζ) Aquarii and rises at 2:30 A.M. local daylight time in the continental U.S., reaching an altitude of 20° two hours later. This gives most observers a fine opportunity to watch for an hour or two before morning twilight. The predicted peak zenithal hourly rate is 50 meteors per hour but since the radiant is not overhead, observed rates are normally a dozen per hour.
However, this year could see an increase in rates the morning of May 3. Material left by Halley’s Comet is affected by various gravitational resonances and the threads of debris wander like a silk scarf in a breeze. On the 3rd, Earth passes through a thread left by the comet in 985 B.C.E., potentially leading to more and brighter meteors. But like predicting the number of snowflakes in a snowstorm, such calculations are difficult and reality can vary greatly. One thing is for sure: It’s worth observing a few days prior to the peak. If you do see a rise in the number of meteors, you’re seeing the result of a passage of Halley’s Comet some 3,000 years ago. How cool would that be?