Another meteor shower expected in May
Another meteor shower -the Eta Aquarids - is expected to reach its peak on May 6, 2010 two months after the Lyrid meteor shower.
The Eta Aquarids get their name because their radiant appears to lie in the constellation Aquarius, near one of the constellation's brightest stars, Eta Aquarii. The shower is visible from mid April to late May each year.
This year the Eta Aquarids meteor shower will peak around 5-6 May, the press service of Byurakan Observatory reports. At this time, observers in the Northern Hemisphere are likely to see about 10 meteors every hour, while Southern Hemisphere observers will see about 30 per hour.
Eta Aquarids are flakes of dust from Halley's Comet which are best viewed in the pre-dawn hours away from the glow of city lights. The radiant of the shower is only above the horizon for the few hours before dawn, and early-rising observers are often rewarded with rates that climb as the radiant rises before sunrise.
These fast-moving meteors occasionally leave persistent trains after them. The Eta Aquarids were officially discovered in 1870, but according to Chinese reports the discovery of the meteors dates back to 410 BC.
