ETA amniotes. How to observe it in Poland? A shower of unique meteors

Eta Aquaridus is one of the most famous spring meteor showers. It is associated with the famous Halley’s Comet. It attracts most observers in the Southern Hemisphere, where meteors can be seen throughout the night. This phenomenon will also be visible in Poland if the sky is clear.

Eta Aquaridus is difficult to observe north of the equator because of the time at which its radiance is highest, the point from which meteors appear to “fly off.” This year, this moment will occur around two o’clock in the morning on Monday, that is, after the astronomical dawn. Therefore, we cannot rely on a completely black monitoring background. In addition, the sky will become increasingly brighter.

However, such low radiation has its advantages. As Adam Horsewitz of the blog “O cosmos i astronautyce” explained, thanks to this, the Eta Aquarids appear to fly upwards from close to the horizon, leaving behind long, spectacular streaks.

“Sometimes the Eta Aquarid can fly halfway across the sky, or even further, to the peak of the sky,” he explained. – “The time of the most beautiful meteors has come!”

The maximum is expected to reach the night of May 5-6, before dawn – and it is best to start observing around 2 a.m., away from city lights. We must turn our eyes towards the East. Searching for the shooting star will be made easier by the fact that the moon is currently very close to the new moon phase. At our latitudes, we can expect several or a dozen or so meteors per hour.

To see the swarm, of course, you’ll need suitable weather, including clear skies. However, forecasters expect the night ahead to be cloudy, with occasional showers and thunderstorms.

If you can watch ETA AQUARIDA, send materials to contact 24.