12 Dec 2023

Meteor shower set to be visible tonight

From Morning Report, 7:47 am on 12 December 2023

A rare spectacle is set to appear in the sky tonight in the form of a meteor shower.

A meteor shower is expected to be visible on Tuesday between 8pm and 12.30am as Earth passes through the debris trail of Comet 46-P Wirtanen, which orbits the Sun every five-and-a-half years. 

Aotearoa is thought to be the best place in the world to see it, provided cloud cover forecast doesn't obscure much of the country's view.

Auckland University physics professor and cosmology expert Richard Easther spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.