The period is definitely ideal for astronomers and enthusiasts all over the sky! After Lyrids then a “Pink Super Moon” in late April, a new Falling stars rain, That is Ta Aquarides, Is expected this week.

In particular, the herd is active from 19 April to 28 May and is expected to peak activity Thursday, May 6 2021.

Very fast meteor

Eta come from aquarids Halley’s Comet (Officially named 1P / Halley), the most famous of all comets, which takes 76 years to orbit the Sun. They derive their name from the fact that their shining planetarium is located in Aquarius, near the luminous star Eta Aquarii.

As Giles Dowdowicz, Secretary General of the Société Astronomique de France, when we asked him about Lyrids, there is a meteor shower Every time the Earth passes through the edge of a comet, A type of tunnel formed from the dust that comes out when he wakes up.

The Eta Aquarids herd is not very intense: NASA indicates that we can observe between 10 and 20 meteors per hour. On the other hand, it is famous for its speed: 66 kilometers per second. The fastest meteor can also leave trails running for a few seconds or minutes.

How to observe them properly?

There is no secret to observe the sky: you have to get away from the city and any source of light. Shooting stars are visible to the naked eye, there is no need for binoculars or binoculars.

NASA provides some advice for specific observations of Eta Aquarids:

Lie with your feet facing towards the east and look up, staring at the sky as much as possible. After about 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adjust and you will see a meteor. Be patient – this show will run till morning, so you will have plenty of time to catch a glimpse of it.

Don’t forget to pick up a blanket or something, the nights are still cold in early May!

What are the next meetings?

The Lyrids and Eta Aquarids were two notable shooting star shows of the spring. For the next show, we have to wait till July Delta aquarides And especially August with the famous Perseids.

After the summer ballet, the last three months of the year will each be presented with their celestial spectacle Orionides (October), Leonids (November) more Geminids (December), the year’s heaviest meteor shower, more than 120 per hour. A Complete Event!