As many as 40 shooting stars per hour will be visible across the sky before dawn on Friday, May 6, as the Eta Aquarids (η-Aquariids) meteor shower reaches its peak.
According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the η-Aquariids is one of the meteor showers produced by the debris of Halley’s comet.
“This major meteor shower is active from 19 April to 28 May, with a peak of activity occurring on May 6, and may produce about 40 meteors per hour,” PAGASA said in its monthly astronomical diary.
“The radiant of the meteor shower, Aquarius, will rise on the eastern horizon at around 1:31 a.m. η-Aquariids is best observed shortly before dawn when their radiant is at its highest point in the sky. The presence of a waxing crescent Moon in Gemini at the shower’s peak will cause no significant interference with the meteor shower observation,” it also said.
PAGASA said that another meteor shower, η-Lyrids, will be observable in May.
This will be active from May 3 to 14, with peak activity on May 8 producing up to three meteors per hour. The parent body responsible for η-Lyrids is a comet named C/1983 H1 (IRAS-Araki-Alcock).
“The radiant of the meteor shower, Lyra, will rise over the eastern horizon at around 9:00 PM. η-Lyrids is observable until before sunrise, with the best shower display at around 4 a.m., when the radiant is at its highest point in the sky,” PAGASA said.
It said that the waxing crescent moon in Cancer will not cause any interference in the observation.
PAGASA pointed out that the value of the expected number of meteors observable per hour assumes that the observer is in a clear, dark, moonless sky condition, and the radiant is highest in the sky.
Meteor showers are observable through the naked eyes, and no special equipment such as telescopes or binoculars is needed.
PAGASA advised the public to maximize the viewing experience by choosing a dark observation site away from the city lights under clear and moonless sky conditions.