A meteor shower can be seen in Portugal this Sunday. This is the astronomical phenomenon known as Eta Aquáridas, caused by debris dropped by Comet Halley as it orbits around the Sun.
These remains of gravel and dust fall into planet Earth’s atmosphere every six months. Due to friction, these small fragments ignite and form so-called “shooting stars”. When they occur in high numbers, they cause a “star shower” or meteor shower, like the one we can see this weekend (and a few more days), with maximum activity predicted for Sunday night.
Eta Aquáridas usually occurs at this time of year, while the similar phenomenon in October is called Orionidas.
Eta Aquáridas will be most visible from around 10pm this Sunday until Monday morning. This is considered a good year to observe this phenomenon, as there will be no moonlight until almost dawn, so the darkness of the sky will help you enjoy even the faintest shooting stars.
The best way to watch, according to astronomers, is to go to a place without light pollution and lie quietly and comfortably on the ground looking at the night sky.
