Pune: Citizens will be able to enjoy a rare Aquariid meteor shower in the sky this weekend.
The meteor shower is rare because this activity will take place again in 2047, according to astronomers. The meteors travel at a speed of 65.5 km and the uniqueness of this shower is that it leaves persistent trails of smoke lasting a few seconds. The shower will be seen in the sky between May 4 and 6.
Meteors are also known as shooting stars, but they aren’t stars at all. Meteors are streaks of light in the sky caused by dust and small rocks burning as they hit the Earth’s atmosphere at very high speeds — tens of kms per second.
Director of Nehru Planetarium Arvind Paranjpye said, Amateur astronomers should try to observe Eta Aquariid meteor shower during the first weekend of May. If you did not observe the Halley’s Comet in 1986, or don’t expect to see it in 2061 when it returns, then the best option is to observe this shower.
As per the SkyNews, an initiative by the Public Outreach and Education Committee of the Astronomical Society of India, the Eta Aquariid meteor shower occurs due to the entry into the Earth’s atmosphere of debris left by Halley’s Comet. The debris burns up due to friction with the constituent particles of the atmosphere.
The meteors of this shower are very swift, travelling at a speed of about 65.5 km per second. The shower is active between April 19 and May 28 every year. It is presently active and expected to peak around 2.30 am on May 6, two days before the new Moon.
Paranjpye added, Sky enthusiasts should attempt to observe this shower for two reasons. Predictions show that due to interaction of the debris of Halley’s Comet with Jupiter, the shower is likely to be strong in 2024. Secondly, some meteors leave behind smoke trails that can last several seconds. Fireballs are not seen with this shower.
