Stunning Meteor Shower Set to Illuminate Weekend Sky
**Stargazers in Hungary Prepare for Spectacular Eta Aquariids Meteor Shower**
This Sunday, stargazers in Hungary will have the opportunity to witness one of the most beautiful meteor showers of the year, the Eta Aquariids. According to the Svábhegy Observatory in Budapest, this year’s meteor shower is predicted to be a small one, with unlikely chances of another similar event until 2046.
The Eta Aquariids are known for their speed, arriving at about 66 km/s before suddenly decelerating as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere. The peak of the meteor shower is expected at dawn on Sunday, with the possibility of seeing up to 60 meteors per hour, instead of the average 25.
With Earth’s celestial companion in the new moon phase and a lunar crescent of less than six percent, spotting the shooting stars will not be difficult. The best time to observe the shower is after 2:30 a.m., between 3 and 4 a.m., when the radiant will be above the horizon.
For those eager to witness the spectacle, it is recommended to look eastward across the sky from a dark, rural vantage point with a clear horizon. Even if the sky is not clear on Sunday morning, the maximum of the Eta Aquariids is prolonged, allowing for a heavy shower of meteors in the early hours of the morning, both before and a day or two after.
Eta Aquariids is the fourth most intense meteor shower of the year, peaking in early May. The parent object of the meteor swarm is Halley’s Comet, which orbits the Sun every 76 years on average. The comet’s last approach to Earth was in 1986, and it is expected to return in 2061.
The Earth’s orbit intersects Halley’s Comet’s orbit twice a year, creating two showers of shooting stars. The more intense swarm is Eta Aquariids in May, while the other is the Orionids in late October, although it is only a third as active. Don’t miss this rare celestial event and enjoy the mesmerizing display of shooting stars in the night sky!
*Via MTI, Featured image: Wikipedia/ESO/P. Horalek*
