Don’t Miss the ‘Eta Aquariid’ Meteor Shower Across the Southern Hemisphere This Weekend

Aussies will be in for one heck of a light show.

Astronomical events tend to favour our friends on the other side of the pond in the Northern Hemisphere, but us Aussies will be treated to a spectacular show this weekend.

The meteor shower, known as ‘Eta Aquariid’, happens every May, and this year is set to have particularly perfect visibility.

What will it look like?

According to Jonti Horner, an astronomer at the University of Southern Queensland, the Eta Aquariid is one of the best meteor showers in the southern hemisphere.

Marking the spot will be a line-up of four bright planets—from the bottom up, Venus, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn.

That’s where the shower will appear to be radiating from a single point—like fiery streaks of light shooting through the sky.

Amateur astronomer Ian Musgrave told the ABC “there’ll be lots of interesting sky candy just below”, too.

How is the meteor shower caused?

It’s all down to missus Comet 1P/Halley. Every 76 years or so, this comet swings close to the sun and its icy surface boils off into space. This creates a gaseous coma which carries dust grains and spreads around the comet’s orbit.

Every 76 years sounds like a lot, but you can imagine that in the scheme of the universe, Comet Halley has had its fair share of close encounters with the sun. Its orbit is truly thick with dust grains as a result.

Each year, the Earth runs through the trail of dust, which smashes into the atmosphere, creating the spectacular streaks of light.

How can you get the best view?

It depends where you are around Australia, but if you’re really committed, you can have a great view from anywhere.

The further north you are, the better. And you’ll want to be somewhere away from city lights for an unpolluted view of the sky.

You can check out a list of the best times to set up your star-gazing seats below.

Credit: Museums Victoria via The Conversation.

And don’t worry if you’re not an early riser. Remnants from the meteor shower may still be visible later in the weekend. So, sit back and enjoy the show!

Don’t Miss the ‘Eta Aquariid’ Meteor Shower Across the Southern Hemisphere This Weekend