Early Morning, Eta Aquariid Meteor Rain Will Decorate The Earth's Sky

Meteor shower illustration (Photo by Fernando Rodrigues on Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The Eta Aquarid meteor shower will decorate the night sky, to be precise on Wednesday morning. This celestial phenomenon originates from the fragment of Halley's Comet which creates two meteor showers, one of which is Eta Aquarid and Orionid.

Citing the Space page, the phenomenon of meteor showers can be witnessed in almost several countries in the northern to southern hemisphere, including Indonesia. The night sky will also be illuminated by the bright light of the full moon, this night.

This year, the Eta Aquarid meteor shower will run from April 19 to May 28, with a peak on May 5. The best time to witness this celestial phenomenon is between 02.00 and 03.00 before dawn.

Between these times, we can see a sparkle forming white streaks over the Earth's atmosphere. This happened because of the friction of the ice and the pieces of the asteroid that hit at a speed of nearly 150,000 miles per hour.

When the Eta Aquarid meteor shower occurs, anyone can see the beautiful streaks of light in the night sky. In some countries this phenomenon can even be witnessed after sunset and lasts for several minutes.

To maximize the situation when watching this meteorological rain, it helps us to be in a place with minimal light. Also monitor the TimeandDate.com site, as a guide to finding the location of the meteor shower that will decorate the night sky.

In May there will be several Astronomical Phenomena that will occur. Friends can observe it with the naked eye or using a telescope in an open and dark place. You have to wait patiently, the sky is clear and the light pollution is not severe. pic.twitter.com/WiS5psGXyQ

- LAPAN (LAPAN_RI) May 2, 2020

Halley's Comet Shard

The Eta Aquarids meteor shower phenomenon is not actually included in the list of asteroids or celestial bodies. Because history records, the emergence of Eta Aquarids was only discovered in the late 19th century.

In 1870, while sailing in the Mediterranean Sea, Lieutenant Colonel GL Tupman saw 15 meteors on the morning of April 30, and another 13 a few mornings later. All meteors appear to come from the constellation Aquarius.

Several years later, Professor Alexander Stewart Herschel succeeded in deducing the trajectory of the orbit of Halley's Comet in 1876. At that time he also found other comet fragments that were in the orbital path, an event that caused the distribution of small comets that were carried to earth.

Authors David Levy and Stephen Edberg, describe the phenomenon of the Eta Aquariids meteor shower like a white stripe in the night sky. Hundreds or even thousands of pieces of the asteroid evaporate rapidly until dawn arrives.