What time can you see the ETA Aquarids meteor shower? See peak days, weather forecast
What time can you see the ETA Aquarids meteor shower? See peak days, weather forecast The weather forecast is showing ideal conditions in the United States to view the ETA Aquarids when they peak May 5 and May 6.
Show Caption
Hide Caption
Top astronomy events for May 2025
This May brings us a meteor shower visible around the world and a planetary alignment with our moon.
The third major meteor shower of the year, the Aquarids meteors are considered the best shower of the year for the Southern Hemisphere.
But the meteor shower can still be seen around the globe, where they are famed for the speedy balls of light they send shooting across the sky.
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 ETA Aquarids is set to peak in early May less than two weeks since the last meteor shower lit up the night sky.
The third major meteor shower of the year, the Aquarids meteors are considered the best shower of the year for the Southern Hemisphere. But the meteor shower can still be seen around the globe, where they are famed for the speedy balls of light they send shooting across the sky.
And fortunately, the weather forecast is showing ideal conditions in the United States to view the ETA Aquarids – sometimes spelled as "Aquariids" – in 2025, which follow the Lyrids earlier in April and the Quadrantids in January.
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."
The Aquarids are also the last meteor shower until the end of July, when two are set to peak at the same time.
Here's what to know about the ETA Aquarids meteor shower and how to watch it in 2025:
When is the ETA Aquarids meteor shower peaking?
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.
What time can I see the Aquarids meteors?
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.
Will it be cloudy during the Aquarids meteor shower?
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.
How to see the Aquarids
The Aquarids should pretty much 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.
How many meteors will be visible per hour?
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.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Watch a brilliant 'fireball' meteor explode over China on May 28 (video)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Residents of Maoming, China were treated to a celestial light show earlier this week when a surprise fireball burst to life overhead, illuminating the city before disappearing in an intense flare of light. The fireball burned up over the southern Chinese province of Guangdong at 9:33 p.m. local time on May 28, according to multiple dashcam videos that have circulated online in the wake of the event. The videos show the meteor make a dramatic 5-second journey through the night sky, during which it changed color from a pale green-blue hue to an intense burst of orange-yellow light. This particular fireball may have been a bolide - a special meteor that breaks apart with a dramatic flash of light. A fireball is the name given when a relatively large meteor - over 1 millimeter in diameter - collides with Earth's atmosphere, triggering a fleeting flare of light that can outshine the planets themselves in the night sky. The color of a burning meteor is determined by a number of factors such as its speed, composition and how it compresses the air in its path, according to the American Meteor Society. Bright, reddish flashes of light can arise when fast-moving meteors strike the atmosphere at tens of thousands of miles per hour, compressing the air in front of them. This process causes them to glow brightly in the night sky and has the potential to force atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen atoms trapped in the meteor's path to release an abundance of reddish light, according to NASA. Meteors with a high sodium content also have a tendency to burn with an orange-yellow light. No major meteor showers were active on the night in question, so it's likely that the Maoming City fireball was born of a 'sporadic meteor' - a random piece of space debris left over from the creation of the solar system that happened to collide with Earth on May 28. Editor's Note: If you would like to share your astrophotography with readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
Aquarids meteor shower viewing alert: When and where to see shooting stars
The Aquarids, a meteor shower famous for its speedy balls of space debris that streak across the night sky, is due to peak in early May. The ETA Aquarids reliably becomes most active around early May each year as Earth passes through debris left by the famous Halley's comet. Taking place right on the heels of the Lyrid meteor shower, the Aquarids – sometimes spelled as "Aquariids" – are also the last opportunity to catch a meteor shower for a few months before the next one peaks in late July. The Aquarids meteors don't produce bright flashes known as fireballs, but they are famous for being fast and leaving spectacular glowing trails 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 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. 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. The Aquarids should pretty much 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. Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through dusty debris trails left by comets and other space objects as they orbit the sun. The debris – space rocks known as meteoroids – collides with Earth's atmosphere at high speed and disintegrates, creating fiery and colorful streaks in the sky, according to NASA. The striking celestial sight, which are often colloquially referred to as "shooting stars," are meteors. If meteoroids survive their trip to Earth without burning up in the atmosphere, they are called meteorites, NASA says. The Aquarids' parent comet is perhaps the most famous one of them all: 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. Each time Halley returns to the inner solar system, its nucleus sheds ice and rocky dust into space that eventually becomes not only the ETA Aquarids in May, but the Orionids every October. 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@ This article originally appeared on Florida Today: How to see ETA Aquarids meteor shower peak in May 2025
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
Best stargazing spectacles of summer 2025: Full moons, meteor showers and eclipses
Meteor showers, a total lunar eclipse and Northern Lights displays have already dazzled across the sky so far this year, with May treating stargazers to the Eta Aquarids "shooting stars," a Venus-Saturn alignment and a glowing full moon. As the weather continues to heat up and attention turns toward summer, astrology enthusiasts have a lot to prepare for. Eclipses and more meteor showers are among the many space phenomena we can expect to see in the coming months, along with classic full moons and the chance to spot at least one planet glowing extra bright. Here are a few of the biggest astronomical events to keep an eye out for in the coming summer months. The new moons of summer 2025 will occur on: June 25, July 24, Aug. 23 and Sept. 21. June's full moon is often known as the Strawberry Moon, not because the moon itself takes on a red hue (though it can), but rather because some Native American tribes associated it with the time of berry harvest in the Northern Hemisphere, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. The June solstice occurs when the sun travels along its northernmost path in the sky, creating the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the shortest day in the Southern Hemisphere, according to the Farmer's Almanac. In the Northern Hemisphere, this marks the beginning of summer, while it marks the beginning of winter in the Southern. It can occur from June 20-22 and the moment of the sun's peak northern position is expected to happen on Saturday, June 21, 2025, at 02:42 UTC. Mercury is small and close to the sun, making it difficult to spot with the naked eye on most days. On July 4, however, it will be at its greatest elongation east, meaning it will appear its furthest distance from the sun in the evening sky and therefore will be easier to spot, according to Time and Date. If you're more of a morning person, you'll get another chance on Aug. 19, when Mercury is at its greatest elongation west, meaning it will appear at its furthest distance from the sun in the morning sky. July's full moon is commonly called the "Buck Moon" again to signify a natural phenomenon that occurs around that time. Deer bucks shed their antlers to grow new ones seasonally; early June is roughly the time during which their new antlers begin regrowing from their heads, according to Time and Date. August's full moon is often called the "Sturgeon Moon," again deriving its name from Native tribes who found an abundance of giant lake sturgeon ready to catch in the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain in the later summer months, according to the Farmer's Almanac. The Perseid meteors, the product of space debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle falling to Earth, can be seen as "shooting stars" periodically between July 17 and Aug. 24. However, the meteor activity is supposed to peak between Aug. 12 and 13, creating one of the most vibrant meteor showers of the year, according to Time and Date. A total lunar eclipse occurs when Earth passes between the sun and moon, blocking the sun's light and casting a shadow on the moon, creating a reddish glow. Unfortunately for U.S. stargazers, totality this time around will only be visible from Australia, Asia, Africa, and Europe. However, some people in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, North America and South America will be able to see at least some of the event, according to Time and Date. The September full moon is generally called the "Corn Moon," as some Native American tribes traditionally harvested corn during this time, according to the Farmer's Almanac. A partial solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the sun and Earth, only partially covering the sun's disk and often creating a crescent or "bite" illusion. Unfortunately for Americans, this partial solar eclipse will only be viewable in New Zealand, Australia, various Pacific islands and parts of Antarctica, according to Time and Date. Americans may not get a chance to see the Sept. 21 eclipse, but they may be able to spot Saturn. Saturn will be in opposition on that date, meaning the Earth, Saturn and Sun align, giving us the closest view of the ringed planet. It will then be visible from sunrise until sunset and be most visible from this point through October, according to the Farmer's Almanac. The September equinox, also known as the Autumnal or Fall equinox, occurs when the sun crosses the celestial equator from north to south. It signals the beginning of fall in the Northern Hemisphere and Spring in the Southern Hemisphere, according to Time and Date. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When are the next full moons, eclipses? Summer 2025 stargazing guide
