What time can you see the Aquarids meteor shower? Where is it visible? What to know
And stargazers may want to make sure they catch a glimpse of the ETA Aquarids, which will be most active for two nights in a row this week. The Aquarids – sometimes spelled as "Aquariids" – not only follow closely on the heels of the Lyrid meteors less than two weeks ago, but is the final meteor shower for more than two months.
The meteors reliably become most active around early May each year as Earth passes through debris left by the famous Halley's comet.
Halley, which takes about 76 years for each orbit of the sun, won't be seen again by casual observers until 2061 after it was last sighted in 1986. But despite its rare appearance to us here on Earth, Halley's impact is still felt at least twice a year when we enter its debris path – first during the ETA Aquarids in May and then again during the Orionids every October.
Here's everything to know about the ETA Aquarids meteor shower, including when to see it during its peak.
The Aquarids, which first became active April 19, are due to peak between May 5 and May 6 as Earth passes through the densest part of Halley's cosmic debris, according to the American Meteor Society. While the meteors won't be as bright or dazzling after the peak, stargazers could still catch some up until about May 28.
Like all meteor showers, the Aquarids are best viewed during the dark hours between midnight and dawn.
The website Time and Date also provides detailed information about where and when to see the phenomenon.
Conditions look to be relatively ideal for viewing the Aquarids on both nights of the meteor shower's peak activity.
Even the moon will be cooperating. Though Earth's natural satellite is in a waxing phase and will be more than 60% full on the peak nights, it should set plenty of hours before dawn to leave spectators with dark skies that will reveal the meteors.
The National Weather Service shared graphics showing the cloud forecast across the U.S. overnight for both Monday and Tuesday.
While the Aquarids should pretty much be visible around the globe anywhere in the sky, the meteors are best seen from the Southern Hemisphere.
That's because the meteors seem to emerge – or radiate – from the constellation Aquarius, which is higher up in the sky in the Southern Hemisphere than it is in the Northern Hemisphere.
In the Northern Hemisphere, ETA Aquarid meteors appear as what NASA refers to as "Earthgrazers" – or long meteors that appear to skim the surface of the Earth at the horizon.
Getting away from city light pollution and street lights will also help to unveil the best sights.
Aquarids meteors whiz across the sky at up to about 40.7 miles per second. That's fast enough to leave a glowing trail of debris behind that can last for several seconds or even multiple minutes, according to NASA.
If conditions are right, up to about 50 meteors can be seen per hour during the shower's peak.
But north of the equator, the meteor shower typically produces no more than 10 to 30 meteors per hour.
Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through dusty debris trails left by comets and other space objects as they orbit the sun.
This particular meteor shower occurs when Earth passes through the dusty debris trail left by one of the most famous comets of them all: Halley's Comet. The debris of Halley's Comet also causes the Orionids every October as its debris disintegrates in Earth's atmosphere to create the fiery, colorful meteors – known colloquially as "shooting stars."
Up next, both Southern delta Aquarids and the alpha Capricornids are due to peak at the same time between July 29 and July 30, according to the American Meteor Society.
The Capricornids begin their activity July 12, followed by the Southern delta Aquarids on July 18. Both meteor showers will remain active until Aug. 12.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Aquarids meteor shower 2025: When and where to see it, cloud forecast
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