05-05-2025
How to Watch the Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower This Week
Flowers are blooming and the stars are zooming!
Spring has officially sprung and the cosmos is active with two overlapping meteor showers, supermoons, and now, the peak of the Eta Aquariids at the start of May.
According to NASA, the Eta Aquariids are "known for their speed" with a velocity of 40.7 miles (65.4 kilometers) per second. It might've seemed like. Under perfect conditions, approximately 10 meteors per hour can be seen from Earth from mid-April to mid-May.
Meanwhile, it may have seemed like even more last month due to the rare event that saw the Lyrids Meteor shower peak on April 21 and 22. Still, there's a chance that way more than 10 meteors will be visible from Earth at the Eta Aquariids' peak.
Meteors come from leftover comet particles and bits of broken asteroids. A dusty trail is left behind when comets approach the sun — so when Earth passes through this trail and the debris collides with our atmosphere, they disintegrate to form fiery streaks in the sky.
For how to watch the Eta Aquariids from Earth, read on!
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The Eta Aquariids peak between Monday, May 5, and Tuesday, May 6, 2025. However, they have been active since April 20 and will continue to shoot until May 21.
Related: May's First Quarter Moon Is Turning Up the Heat and 4 Zodiac Signs Are Put to the Test
The Eta Aquarids are visible during the pre-dawn hours in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, though the latter location is preferable for viewing. This is due to its radiant from different latitudes.
Eta Aquarid meteors are often viewed as "Earthgrazers," per NASA. "Earthgrazers are long meteors that appear to skim the surface of the Earth at the horizon."
While there's a chance to spot a meteor anywhere in the night sky, stargazers should look around the constellation Aquarius. This is the Eta Aquarids' radiant, the point from where the stars appear to derive.
It's best to point your eyes to the sky before dawn for increased chances of spotting a meteor. At its peak, there's a chance upwards of 50 Eta Aquariids can be seen.
Of course, this is all dependent upon Mother Nature. That means perfect weather conditions (no rain, no clouds, no fog) are needed, in addition to zero light pollution from surrounding city lights that will drown out the celestial spectacle in the night sky.
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The next meteor shower to be active after the Eta Aquariid meteor shower is the Southern Delta Aquariids, which will shoot from July 18 to Aug. 12 this year.
Read the original article on People
