The longer normal life is on pause, the more we‘re turning to the natural world for entertainment – whether it’s animals loving lockdown, photographs of spring flowers blooming all around the world or virtual tours of the Netherlands’ tulip gardens. This week, there’ll be some live action entertainment coming to a garden, balcony or front step near you.
The Eta Aquarids meteor shower is set to peak this week on the night between Tuesday May 5 and Wednesday May 6.
Named after the brightest star in the Aquarius constellation, because the shooting stars appear to originate from nearby, the meteor shower is caused by debris from Halley's Comet, which passes by Planet Earth between April and May and then again in October.
The meteor shower is already active so you may well spot a few streaks of light if you go out stargazing tonight. But the best conditions will likely be in the dark hours before dawn on May 6, when you might be able to see up to 50 meteors an hour.
The best views will be for those near the equator – and gazers in the southern hemisphere will be in for a brighter treat, as the nights are getting darker and longer there at the moment, thanks to winter being on the horizon. But the celestial display is visible all over the world, as long as it’s not cloudy, of course.
Looking up? For when this is all over, here are the best places for stargazing in the UK, Hong Kong’s best stargazing spots and ace places to stargaze in Singapore.