Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower

Published: 11th May, 2024

Context

The Eta Aquariid meteor shower, originating from the famous Halley's Comet, is set to peak soon.

Formation of Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower

The Eta Aquariid meteor shower is formed when the Earth passes through the orbital plane of Halley's Comet, a periodic comet that orbits the Sun every 76 years.
This celestial event occurs annually.
First observed in 240 BCE, the recurring appearances of this comet were elucidated by astronomer Edmond Halley in
Characteristics: Comprising burning space debris moving at speeds of around 66 km per second, the Eta Aquariid meteor shower is known for its rapid speed, resulting in long, glowing tails that can last several minutes.
- This spectacle is best visible to countries in the Southern Hemisphere, such as Indonesia and Australia.
Association with Other Meteor Showers: Similar to the Eta Aquariids, the Orionids meteor shower also originates from Halley's Comet and occurs annually in October.

Meteors are grains of dust or rock.
They burn up as they enter the Earth's atmosphere, creating brief tails of light.
While most meteors are tiny and burn up completely, larger meteors, known as meteorites, can hit the ground and cause significant damage.
Cometary Origin: Comets are the source of meteor showers.
- Comets are frozen remnants of solar system's origin from about 4.6 billion years ago.
- They are made of ice, rock, and dust.
- Their highly elliptical orbits around the Sun might take hundreds of thousands of years to complete in some circumstances.
- NASA reports that there are 3,910 confirmed comets at this time, but billions more may be orbiting the Sun in the Kuiper Belt and even beyond Oort cloud, which are both thought to be orbiting beyond Neptune.