How To Watch The Phenom Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower That Will Light Up Aussie Skies Tonight

Strap in for a sliver of good news! There’s a huge meteor shower happening tonight, and it’ll be visible all over Australia.

On Wednesday at around 4 AM on the east coast, Aussies will be able to look up and see the Eta Aquarids meteor shower light up the night sky.

“This will be one of the best meteor showers that we will see this year,” Dr Brad Tucker from the ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics said.

“Look towards the east and the sky should be putting on a show for you.”

The Eta Aquarids are one of two meteor showers from Halley’s Comet, caused by cosmic debris in the comet’s orbit.

It turns out the southern hemisphere is the best place to view the display, because we’ll be able to see up to 50 shooting stars per hour. But don’t bother bring binoculars or a telescope – the naked eye is king.

Tucker said it’s best to let you or eyes adjust for 10 minutes before complaining you can’t see anything, and had a few other tips too.

“The moon will have set as the shower starts to peak, which means the sky will be nice and dark and it will allow everyone to see the fainter meteors,” he said.

“If you are in a city, getting away from nearby lights and into a darker area like a nearby oval will allow you to see more shooting stars.”

Of course, lockdown is very much still a thing, so keep that in mind before flocking to the park early in the morning. Just saying.

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