Network sources report that the May Aquarids meteor shower will be able to be seen by Russians living in the southern regions of the country. The most suitable time for this will be the night of May 5-6.
The Crimean astronomer Alexander Yakushechkin told RIA Novosti about this. He also said that Halley's comet is considered to be the progenitor of the May Aquarids meteor shower. The fact is that the Earth crosses the orbit of the comet twice, so in May the inhabitants of the planet can admire the Aquarids, and in October the Orionids meteor shower will appear in the sky.
The most advantageous regions of Russia for observing the Aquarids will be the Crimea and the North Caucasus, since they are located in a suitable latitude for this. Residents of these regions will be able to see mainly very long meteors that are part of the stream. It is noted that even at the Crimean latitude the constellation Aquarius, in which the radiant of the stream is located, is located very low above the horizon. Most of the short meteors will be visible only in the Southern Hemisphere and the equatorial region. The Russians will see only part of the entire shower, but it will be mostly long meteors.
One of the features of the stream is that the meteors move at great speed. This happens due to the fact that the elements of the flow move towards our planet and their speed is added to the speed of the Earth around the Sun. Elements of the meteor shower move at a speed of about 66 km / s, which is approximately equal to 237 km / h. At this incredible speed, meteors enter the atmosphere, creating a beautiful sight in the night sky.
Source: 3dnews.ru