The scientist named the date of the peak of the meteor shower May Aquariums

The peak activity of the May Aquariids meteor shower is expected on May 6. This is an annual astronomical phenomenon that can be observed in the night sky of the Earth. Honorary Doctor of Sciences, educator and teacher Sergey Chumakov told Izvestia about this on May 4.

According to him, the May Aquariums are not very intense or bright compared to other "stargazers." On average, observers can see no more than one fast meteor every 3-5 minutes, so you should not count on a bright sight.

"The origin of the May Aquariids is connected with the famous Halley Comet (1P/Halley), which returns to the Sun once every 76 years. In fact, in May, the Earth passes in the vicinity of the comet's orbit and the smallest particles from the dust tail of 1P/Halley burn up in its atmosphere. The comet itself is far from Earth, but its substance is still interacting with our planet," the scientist explained.

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Chumakov recalled that meteors are not stars, but the phenomenon of the combustion of cosmic dust particles in the upper atmosphere. The term "shooting stars" originated in ancient times, when the nature of these phenomena was unknown.

He also explained the difference between meteors, meteorites and asteroids. Asteroids are large objects in space, meteoroids are smaller bodies, and a meteor is a light phenomenon when they burn up in the atmosphere. If a part of the substance reaches the Earth's surface, it is called a meteorite. Bright meteors that exceed the brightness of the Moon belong to fireballs, and they can sometimes be accompanied by fragments falling to Earth.

According to the expert, the probability of the appearance of fireballs and even more meteorites during the May Aquariums exists, but it is extremely small.

The May Aquariids meteor shower began on May 3, and it will be active until May 10. In the predawn hours, away from the city light, it was possible to observe up to 30 or more meteors per hour. Yaroslav Turilov, a representative of the Moscow Planetarium, said that the meteor fall would be clearly visible to the naked eye.