This week’s science picture

Halley’s Comet, a ball of ice and rock left over from the creation of the Milky Way, only makes an appearance every 75 years, so sadly we have to wait until 2061 before we get another glimpse of it. However, we are in the midst of meteor shower. Earth is twirling though the tail of Halley’s Comet. Therefore, it is inevitable that tiny debris falling into our atmosphere will burn up leading to a month-long annual spectacle called Eta Aquarids. Lucky stargazers in the southern hemisphere will witness 30-40 meteors flying through the night sky per hour whereas the northern stargazers will see 10-20. The best time to view this spectacle is in early hours of morning before twilight, 5th - 7th May. A dark remote spot away from light pollution is a better place to witness the shower but you won’t need any fancy astrophysics equipment if you decide to. Don’t worry if you miss it this time as late October will provides the Orionid meteor shower.