Thaindian News

By Ranjan Bhaduri
May 6, (THAINDIAN NEWS) Halley’s comet is considered as one of the most important celestial phenomenon that exists in our solar system. It comes close to the earth once in every 75 years and the last time the comet was seen was 1986. Some people may never get the chance to see the comet in their life but they can surely see its remnants through two yearly meteor showers. One of these meteor showers named Eta Aquarid will be visible today and tomorrow and stargazers can see the remnants of the comet in this meteor shower during the wee hours of the morning, as the star watchers forums and sites suggest. The shower is estimated to peak around Thursday and Friday morning.

However, not all sky gazers would be lucky enough to view the meteor shower in its glory. The people who will watch it from Northern hemisphere will face difficulty as the sky is not going to be moonless and cloud formation may also affect the viewing. However, the residents of the southern hemisphere are luckier. They can expect to see around 30 to 40 such meteors an hour. The comet itself is now far away in the solar system. It has left behind dusts and other materials that have formed the meteor shower.

The telescope owners have a better chance of watching the meteor shower. The ideal time of viewing the shower is from 2 a.m to 4 a.m. The remnants of the Halley’s comet can also be seen in October in another meteor shower known as the Orionids. The shower can appear from any direction in the horizon.