Meteors from famous Halley’s Comet to peak over SC soon. Here’s when and how best to watch
South Carolinians have the best chance to see a meteor shower created by the famous Halley’s Comet this weekend.
The Eta Aquariid meteor shower, active between April 15 and May 27, will peak during the mornings of Sunday and Monday, in the hours before dawn. The Eta Aquariid meteor shower is particularly unique, since it is produced when the Earth passes through the ice and dust left behind by Halley’s Comet, which famously returns to Earth’s vicinity once about every 76 years.
Viewers in the southern half of the U.S. might see about 30 meteors per hour under a dark sky, with no moon, when the radiant is high in the sky.
When and how to watch
According to NASA, the Eta Aquariids are viewable during the pre-dawn hours.
To get the best view of the meteors in South Carolina, find a spot away from city lights or street lights. Lie flat on your back with your feet facing east and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible. After about 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will begin to see meteors.
Where do meteors come from?
Meteors come from leftover comet particles and bits from broken asteroids. A meteor shower occurs when the Earth crosses the path of a comet and collides with those particles, which burn up in the atmosphere.
Halley’s Comet is considered by many to be the most famous comet, having been sighted for millennia, NASA states. The comet is named after Edmond Halley, who in 1705 discovered that three previous comets seemed to return every 76 years, indicating they were likely the same comet. The comet returned as Halley predicted and it was named after him in his honor.
