Eta Aquariid meteor shower to illuminate the Australian sky. This is how you can view it
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Australian stargazers are in for a treat with the Eta Aquariid meteor shower set to illuminate our skies this weekend.
Anyone in Australia can watch the meteor shower this weekend (May 6-10), as long as the skies are clear, on Saturday or Sunday morning, with the first visible from about 1:30 a.m. and then increasing in frequency a few hours before sunrise.
See the meteor shower explained in the video player above
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While the storm will peak over the weekend, you may also see it Friday morning and early next week.
Scientists say it will remain active until May 27.
Named after the constellation Aquarius, the Eta Aquariids come from the debris of Halley’s Comet, visible from Earth every 76 years, according to NASA.
The comet was last seen in our sky in 1986 and will not reappear until 2061.
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How to view the Eta Aquariid meteor shower?
How to view the Eta Aquariid meteor shower?
Although the Eta Aquariids are visible from both the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere, they are best viewed in the Southern Hemisphere, where the meteors will rise highest in the night sky, according to NASA.
According to NASA, the Eta Aquariids are known for how fast they travel, reaching 148,000 miles per hour (238,182 km/h).
The meteors will produce glowing “trains” that remain in the sky for several seconds after the meteor flashes.
More showers to watch out for
After the Eta Aquariids, nine more meteor showers will illuminate our skies in 2022. Here’s a list of the remaining showers to keep an eye out for this year:
Southern Delta Aquarians: July 29 to 30 Alpha Capricorn: July 30 to 31 Perseids: August 11 to 12 Orionids: October 20 to 21 Southern Taurians: November 4 to 5 Northern Taurians: November 11 to 12 Leonids: November 17 to 18 Geminids: 13 to December 14Ursiden: 21 to December 22
Lunar and solar eclipses
A total lunar eclipse will also be visible in Australia in 2022. It will be displayed to people in Australia, Asia, the Pacific, South America, and North America on November 8 between 6:01 PM AEDT and 11:58 AM AEDT.
A lunar eclipse can only occur during a full moon when the sun, earth, and moon are aligned, and the moon passes into the earth’s shadow.
Partial eclipses occur when the moon passes in front of the sun but blocks only part of the light. Credit: Getty Images
The Earth casts two shadows on the moon during the solar eclipse. The penumbra is the partial outer shade, and the umbra is the full, dark shade.
When the full moon comes into the shadow of the Earth, it will get dark, but it will not disappear.
Sunlight passing through Earth’s atmosphere dramatically illuminates the moon, turning it red – which is why this event is often called a “blood moon.”
Depending on the weather conditions in your area, the moon may appear rusty, brick-colored, or blood-red.
This color variability occurs because blue light undergoes stronger atmospheric scattering. Red light will be the most dominant color emphasized as sunlight passes through our atmosphere and casts it on the moon.
full moons
People watch the “Super Flower Blood Moon” rise over the Pacific Ocean in 2021 at Sydney’s Bondi Beach. There are eight more full moons this year. Credit: Anadolu Agency/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
There are eight more full moons in 2022, two of which qualify as supermoons. Here’s a list of the remaining moons this year, according to the Farmers’ Almanac:
May 16: Flower Moon June 14: Strawberry Moon July 13: Bokmaan August 11: Sturgeon Moon September 10: Harvest Moon October 9: Hunters Moon November 8: Beaver Moon December 7: Cold Moon
– With CNN