Early birds are in for a celestial treat this week as activity from the Eta Aquariid meteor shower heats up — but they’ll need to keep sharp eyes on the sky.The shower will peak between Tuesday and Wednesday, with prime views before daybreak on Wednesday, according to the American Meteor Society.“The only opportunity to see these meteors is during the last few hours before dawn,” said Robert Lunsford, fireball report coordinator with the American Meteor Society.AdvertisementAdvertisementThis brief window is due to the fact that Aquarius, the constellation from which the meteors radiate, will not be visible until about 3 a.m. for much of the globe.Typically considered the best meteor shower in the Southern Hemisphere, the annual Eta Aquariids can produce up to 40 meteors in places below the equator, Lunsford said.The shower is less visible in the Northern Hemisphere, with up to 20 meteors per hour at its peak during ideal conditions.However, the bright waning gibbous moon will severely affect the visibility of the shower, reducing the hourly rate of visible meteors to less than 10, according to EarthSky. In the United States, sky-gazers in the southern half of the country have the strongest chance of seeing the cosmic display.AdvertisementAdvertisementEven with the ideal condition of a dark sky, Lunsford said the Eta Aquariids have not had the greatest showing in the past few years, barely producing five meteors per hour.The Eta Aquariids are known for being speedy, zooming through the atmosphere at about 40 miles per second (64 kilometers per second). The meteors move so fast they can leave behind a glowing trail that lingers after the flash, according to NASA.“Now that we have a really bright moon, we’re going to be lucky if we see just a couple an hour,” he added.Finding a …
