‘Utterly disappointed’: Eta Aquarids meteor shower fizzles over Singapore

SINGAPORE – Hopes of a celestial spectacle were high, but skywatchers across Singapore were left largely disappointed during the

peak of the Eta Aquarids meteor shower

in the early hours of May 6 and 7, with several reporting spotting just one meteor over a number of hours.

This particular meteor shower occurs annually when Earth passes through debris left behind by Halley’s Comet – arguably the most famous comet in history, known for being visible to the naked eye roughly every 76 years.

The meteor shower is typically more visible in the Southern Hemisphere, where observers may catch up to 50 meteors an hour under ideal conditions.

In Singapore, however, clear skies offered little payoff.

In the early hours of May 6, Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao photojournalist Jason Lee, who was on assignment at Champions Green – a housing estate near the Singapore Sports School in Woodlands – said he saw only one meteor over 3½ hours.

Speaking with The Straits Times, the photojournalist said: “It didn’t feel worth the wait.”

He added that the meteor “looked quite different from what one would normally expect a meteor to be”.

A netizen, who goes by “Mycandidphotoshot Gates” on Facebook, said in a post that he had tried his luck at one of the least illuminated areas in Singapore – Changi Beach Park – in the early hours of May 6.

“Skies were mostly clear. I spotted one meteor with a light trail that lasted about two seconds while setting up my camera,” he wrote. “I was stoked and thought more would follow. I was wrong.”

He added that he spent the next four hours scanning the sky in vain, even double-checking the coordinates. “It was supposed to be more active in the south-east. Utterly disappointed,” he said.

But not everyone walked away feeling let down. One reader, who wanted to be known only as Ms May T, told ST that it was her first time witnessing a meteor shower and described the experience as awe-inspiring.

She managed to capture several shots that matched what she had imagined a meteor shower would look like.

“It might not be as many as people had hoped for, but I saw at least a cluster of 18 on May 6, between 3.30am and 4.40am at Tai Keng Gardens,” she said.

Meanwhile, stunning photos and videos of the meteor shower from overseas observers, particularly from areas with less light pollution, have been circulating online.

In response to previous queries regarding visibility of cosmic events from Singapore, the Science Centre Singapore observatory said that light pollution, erratic weather and frequent cloud cover can all impact the chances of observing cosmic events from the island.

“Meteor showers are relatively faint, and dark, clear skies are required to view them,” the observatory added, noting that visibility also depends on the nature of the specific cosmic event.

Moreover, the Moon was in its waxing gibbous phase on May 6 and 7, with more than half its surface illuminated. Its bright glow most likely outshone the faint meteors throughout the night.

The best chance to catch the meteor shower in Singapore would have been after the Moon had set, which according to astronomy site timeanddate.com happened at 1.33am on May 6 and 2.19am on May 7.

Adding to the challenge, both peak days of the meteor shower were weekdays, making it difficult for working adults and students to stay out late enough to catch the display.

The Eta Aquarids will continue until late May, but given the poor visibility even during its peak, further sightings in Singapore are unlikely.