Get ready for the skyshow spectacular!

A spectacular celestial event is currently unfolding in our early morning skies.

The event, known as the Eta Aquariids meteor shower will be at its peak over the next few days, so I took advantage of the clear skies and headed up to Quarry Hill at 1:30am to witness the start of the meteor shower, but also to capture the Milky Way lining up with Tomaree. Normally, I would do this from Zenith Beach as I have done for many years, but I thought a change of scenery might be worth exploring, so off I went fumbling my way up Quarry Hill at stupid o’clock.   

I saw my first shooting star just before 3am, just as the Milky Way had aligned itself. They seemed to be shooting in all directions and it was a bit of a guessing game as to where they would appear from. Armed with my bucket list of wishes, I saw about 30 meteors whizzing through the brisk night sky. I didn’t get to see any big ones as I did last year, but it’s still a great experience to witness this annual event.

The Eta Aquariids are debris from Halley’s comet, mostly ice and rock, that the Earth passes through every year around this time. This week is the peak viewing time for the meteor shower, and you can expect up to fifty shooting stars in an hour. The best time is between 3am and 5:30am to view them.

The best place to look is the northern sky, ideally in a place with minimal light. Zenith Beach is ideal for this, but you can also see it from any of the beaches that face north such as Baggies, parts of Soldiers Point, and Halifax (northern end of Shoaly) are a few spots.

Wednesday and Thursday this week are peak times and fortunately, there are clear(ish) skies to enjoy the spectacle. Grab a picnic blanket and a few snacks and enjoy this amazing light show while it’s at its peak. You don’t need binoculars to view it.

Here’s a shot from 3:30am this morning.