By Brian Jules Campued
Are your wishes ready?
About 50 meteor showers per hour are expected to grace the night sky during the peak activity of the Daytime Arietid meteor shower on June 7, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.
In its astronomical diary for June, PAGASA said the meteor shower has been visible since May 14 and will continue until June 24.
“It will be observable once its radiant point, the constellation Aries, is above the eastern horizon around 3:07 a.m. each night and remains active until around 5:00 a.m. the next day,” the state weather bureau said.
“The radiant point is highest in the sky around 10:00 a.m. and will likely produce its greatest show just before sunrise,” it added.
Good news for stargazers, as PAGASA also noted that meteor-watching during the whole night will not be affected by the waxing crescent moon.
Meanwhile, another meteor shower called the June Bootid meteor shower will be active from June 22 to July 2, with peak activity on June 27.
“In Manila, the shower will be active each day from dusk until around 3:38 a.m., when its radiant point, the constellation Bootes, is highest in the sky,” PAGASA said.
“The radiant point is highest in the sky around 8:00 p.m., producing the best view of the meteor,” the agency added.
The weather bureau advised the public to choose a dark observation site under clear and moonless sky conditions since the meteor showers can be viewed without using special equipment like telescopes and binoculars.