<p>As the sky grows dark tonight, you can watch one of the most famous meteor showers of the year, the Eta Aquarids, zip through the heavens. And in case you're stuck inside or have cloudy conditions, you can also tune into this spectacular live show from the Slooh Space Camera, starting at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET.</p> <p>The Eta Aquarids are not the biggest or most spectacular meteor shower of the year. But they are still well known because of their relationship to an astronomical object with near-universal recognition: Halley's comet. Periodic comets, like Halley's, leave behind a field of debris as they make their way around the sun. Regular meteor showers happen when the Earth swings through a particular comet's debris field and pieces of cometary dust crash into our atmosphere at nearly 150,000 mph. The Eta Aquarids are the result of our planet passing through the cosmic wake of Halley's comet.</p> <p>Viewers interested in seeing the meteor shower without the aid of a computer should travel to a dark area far from city lights. After waiting at least 20 minutes for your eyes to fully adjust to the night, look up and to the southeast. Most of the meteors will seem to come from the constellation of Aquarius (the "Water Bearer"). At the shower's peak, you should be able to see between 10 and 40 meteors per hour streaking across the night sky.</p> <p><em>Video: Slooh</em></p> <p><em>Homepage Image: Rich Swanson visa NASA</em></p>
Source : http://www.wired.com/2014/05/live-slooh-eta-aquarid-meteors/
