HALLEY'S METEORS

http://www.spaceweather.com/index.cgi (View archives: May 04, 2007)

HALLEY'S METEORS: Earth is entering a stream of dust from Halley's Comet, and this will produce a meteor shower (the "eta Aquarids") peaking on May 6th. Unfortunately, moonlight will interfere with the display, wiping out all but the brightest meteors. People who wake up before dawn on Sunday and look east might nevertheless catch a few specks of Halley's comet disintegrating in Earth's atmosphere: full story.

( Halley's Comet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halley%27s_Comet#Designation )

http://www.spaceweather.com/index.cgi (View archives: May 05, 2007)

FIREBALL! Maybe this weekend's eta Aquarid meteor shower won't be so bad after all. An early eta Aquarid flashed over Colorado on May 4th producing a fireball "of magnitude -10," estimates astronomer Chris Petersen whose all-sky camera in Guffey, CO, captured the meteor in flight...

"A video of the event shows a bright trail lingering after the meteor fades," he says.

eta Aquarid meteors are flakes of Halley's Comet hitting Earth's atmosphere. Every year around this time, Earth passes through a stream of Halley-dust, and normally the encounter produces a fair shower of meteors peaking on May 6th. Bright moonlight is supposed to wash out this year's display, but the Colorado fireball was as bright as a quarter moon--easily seen!

If you'd like to take a chance on catching an eta Aquarid fireball of your own, wake up before dawn on Sunday, May 6th, dress warmly, go outside and look east. Sky maps: northern hemisphere, southern hemisphere.