More Meteors in May

So, the last day that you would have been able to see any meteors in April was the 24. Don't worry because you will get another chance to see some shooting stars in May. On May 5 and 6 you will be a chance to see the Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower.

The Eta Aquarids are a light shower, usually producing about 10 meteors per
hour at their peak. The shower's peak usually occurs on May 5 & 6, however
viewing should be good on any morning from May 4 - 7. The radiant point for this
shower will be in the constellation Aquarius. Best viewing is usually to the
east after midnight.

If you missed the famous Halley's Comet back in 1986, you can see pieces of
it on the morning of May 6.

The Eta Aquarid meteor shower is the first of two showers that occur each year as a result of Earth passing through dust released by Halley's Comet a few thousand years ago. The second meteor shower produced by Halley's Comet is the Orionids, which occur in October.

If you get a chance to watch the shower on May 5 or 6, i don't think that you will be disappointed. This shower only happens twice a year. So grab an energy drink, stay up late, and watch some shooting stars.

So like i said, i watched the meteor shower that occured the night of April 24. I was pretty disappointed. The news had built up this meteor shower so much that i was expecting a spectacular show and i saw two shooting stars throughout the whole night. This might have something to do that i live in the middle of campus where there is lots of light. Maybe if i would have been out in the country where i had a little better view of the sky, i could have seen more. I guess that i shouln't be too disappointed since i was only looking up at the sky with the naked eye. I searched for tips on how to easily watch a meteor shower and i now realize that if i would have done this beforehand, i might have had a better experience.

How can I best view a meteor shower?
If you live near a brightly lit city, drive away from the glow of city lights and toward the constellation from which the meteors will appear to radiate.

Even though i did not have a mind-blowing experience on that April night, some people around the country did have some excitement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVIxkmaMtRA&NR=1

Why can't something exciting like this happen in Huntsville, Tx every now and then.

2010 Meteor Shower

Tonight there is supossed to be a visible meteor shower. The prime time slot to get a glimpse is tonight from midnight until about 2:00 a.m. The meteors from this shower are some of the oldest in history. They date back to almost 27 centuries ago. It is known as the Lyrid Meteor Shower and is the first one since the beginning of this year. A single person should be able to see about 10 to 20 meteors per hour.

The annual Lyrid shower . . . has always been my favorite, says NASA meteor
expert Peter Jenniskens.

So if you are up around 2:00 a.m. tonight, walk outside and see how many shooting stars you can count. I'm sure that i will be up studying at that hour, so it should be a pleasent study break.