What time is the ETA Aquarids? Here's when to see meteor shower in Texas
The ETA Aquarids, a meteor shower known for its speedy balls of space debris, should be streaking across the night sky in coming days. These Aquarids, taking place on the heels of the Lyrid meteor shower, are most active around early May each year.
The Aquarids meteors don't produce bright flashes known as fireballs, but they are famous for being fast and leaving spectacular glowing trains in their wake.
Here's everything to know about the ETA Aquarids meteor shower and how to see it in 2025:
The Aquarids, which first became active April 19, are due to peak between Monday, May 5, and Tuesday, 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 Wednesday, May 28.
The Aquarids are the third major meteor shower of the year, following the Lyrids earlier in April and the Quadrantids in January.
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. In El Paso, Texas, it should be visible starting at 3 a.m. MT on Tuesday, May 6. In Austin and San Antonio, it should be visible between 4 and 7 a.m. Monday, May 5.
The Aquarids should be visible around the globe, anywhere in the sky – assuming clouds and a bright moon don't obscure the view.
However, 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.
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.
More: View images of total lunar eclipse, 'blood moon' from El Paso, Texas
Source: Eric Lagatta, USAToday
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: ETA Aquarids 2025: How to see meteor shower in Texas
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