Canada Will Be Treated to Another Meteor Shower This Spring

Canadian skies are going to be treated to, yet another massive meteor shower this spring and it will be a spectacle worth staying up for.

Halley’s comet is not set to make another appearance over Earth skies again until 2026 but, the famous comet still shows us its impact twice every year.  One event occurs in October when the Orionids meteor shower appears.  Every spring the Eta Aquariids meteor shower lights up the skies, and this year’s show should be big.  Nearly 50 meteors are expected to be visible per hour during the showers peak, each meteor travelling 148,000 miles per hour.

The peak of this springs event will occur on the evening of May 6, with meteors viewable from April 19 to May 28.  These smaller comets tend not to produce any fireballs but cause another light show called ‘persistent trains’ or colourful streaks that burn in the sky for short periods of time.

In the Northern Hemisphere, we only get to see about half as many meteors as the South but, there are still plenty viewable in Canada.  If you plan on checking them out it is best to watch at dusk or dawn, at a place with little light pollution.