Possibly the Strongest Meteor Shower This Century Set to Peak This Weekend

Amaze Lab

Our planet is currently passing through a debris field left behind by Halley’s Comet. The comet’s next flyby of Earth isn’t set until mis-2061, but its tail is going to give skygazers an epic meteor shower very soon.

Transcript

00:00 [Music]

00:03 Our planet is currently passing through the debris field left behind by Halley's Comet.

00:08 The comet's next flyby of Earth isn't set until mid-2061,

00:11 but its tail is going to give sky gazers an epic meteor shower very soon.

00:16 Its official name is the Eta Aquared meteor shower, and it will peak this weekend.

00:20 But you're going to have to either stay up late or wake up very early to catch it.

00:24 Experts say that the meteors will be at their most frequent and brightest just before dawn,

00:28 which is also expected to be extra dark.

00:30 That's because the shower is happening in tandem with a new moon,

00:33 meaning less light to obfuscate the meteors.

00:36 This is one of two events produced by the same comet,

00:38 the other one being the Orionid meteor shower.

00:41 However, astronomers say this is the one to see,

00:43 as Earth spends an epic six weeks in the comet's debris field.

00:47 This weekend and through Monday, we will no longer be on the outskirts of that debris field,

00:51 but passing directly through it, meaning more meteors.

00:53 While a meteor shower is one of the best of the year, there is one caveat.

00:57 Because of the angle of the Earth, viewers in the southern hemisphere will always get a much better view

01:02 than those of us in the northern.

01:05 [ Music ]

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