If
you’ve
got
clear
skies
and
want
an
excuse
to
get
away
from
town,
the
Eta
Aquarid
meteor
shower
is
roughly
at
its
peak
and
should
be
going
strong
tonight.
Made
up
of
remnants
of
Halley’s
Comet
that
the
Earth
passes
through,
this
annual
shower
is
active
from
April
15th
to
May
27th
and
can
show
up
at
a
rate
of
about
10–30
meteors
per
hour,
according
to
the
American
Meteor
Society.
You
can
see
the
Aquarids
starting
around
2AM
local
time
in
the
Northern
Hemisphere,
radiating
from
the
Aquarius
constellation
(though
you’ll
want
to
look
40–60
degrees
around
Aquarius
to
see
them).
Weather
permitting,
conditions
are
pretty
good
for
watching
them
since
the
moon
is
in
its
late
waning
period
and
won’t
be
reflecting
much
light.
Try
to
plan
your
stargazing
spot
using
a
light
pollution
map
or
by
checking
with
your
local
astronomical
society
for
tips
on
the
best
places
to
go
for
unfettered
viewing.
As
NASA
writes,
Eta
Aquarid
is
viewable
as
“Earthgrazers,”
or
“long
meteors
that
appear
to
skim
the
surface
of
the
Earth
at
the
horizon.”
They’re
fast-moving,
traveling
at
over
40
miles
per
second.
You
can
bring
binoculars
or
a
telescope
if
you
want
to
look
at
the
stars,
too,
but
you
can
see
meteors
with
your
naked
eye,
and
trying
to
look
for
them
with
binoculars
limits
your
field
of
view
too
much
to
be
practical.
Be
sure
to
go
easy
on
your
neck
with
a
reclining
chair
or
something
to
lay
on,
too;
heavy
is
the
head
that
watches
the
stars.
And
dress
appropriately,
since
it’s
often
chillier
out
in
the
country
than
in
the
city
at
night.
An
Eta
Aquarid
meteor
in
Georgia
in
2012.Image:
NASA
/
MSFC
/
B.
Cooke
Finally,
be
patient.
It
can
take
around
30
minutes
for
your
eyes
to
adjust
to
the
dark
enough
to
see
meteors.
Once
they
do,
assuming
you’re
in
a
dark
enough
place,
you
should
be
able
to
see
not
just
the
meteors,
but
plenty
of
stars
and
even
satellites
as
they
move
across
the
sky.
Halley’s
Comet
comes
around,
inconveniently
for
most,
only
once
every
76
years.
The
last
time
it
showed
its
tail
for
Earth-dwellers
was
in
1986,
when
I
was
three
years
old,
and
it
won’t
be
here
again
until
2061,
when
I’m
78
(if
I’m
even
still
alive).
Very
rude.
But
at
least
we
get
to
see
some
of
the
junk
it
leaves
behind.
Original author: Wes Davis
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