Meteor Shower
Eta Aquariids Meteor Shower
Peak rates of about 50 meteors per hour under ideal dark skies. Radiant in Aquarius.
Your local time
6 May 2027, 11:17
Universal time
6 May 2027, 05:47 UTC
Countdown
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The Eta Aquariids are produced by debris from Comet 1P/Halley. Meteors appear to radiate from a point at RA 338°, Dec -1°, entering the atmosphere at about 66 km/s. The quoted zenithal hourly rate of 50 assumes a radiant overhead and a perfectly dark sky; real observed rates are usually lower. No equipment is needed — lie back, let your eyes dark-adapt for 20 minutes and watch a wide patch of sky.
Observation details
- Visibility
- Partially visible
- Best viewing time
- 6 May 2027, 04:17
- Direction to look
- WSW · azimuth 247°
- Altitude at peak
- 33.8°
- Equipment
- Naked Eye
- Zenithal hourly rate
- ~50/hr
- Parent
- Comet 1P/Halley
- Entry velocity
- 66 km/s
- Solar longitude at peak
- 45.50°
At the exact peak the sky is still bright, but the object is 29° high in darkness nearby.
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Photography & observing tips
- •Give your eyes at least 20 minutes to dark-adapt and avoid white light entirely.
- •Look about 40° away from the radiant rather than straight at it — meteors there leave longer trails.
- •For photography use a fast wide lens at f/2.8 or wider, 15–25 second exposures, and shoot continuously.
Event timeline
Times shown in your local timezone, computed from the event geometry.
Activity ramps up
1 May 2027, 11:17 · 1 May 2027, 05:47 UTC
Peak
6 May 2027, 11:17 · 6 May 2027, 05:47 UTC
Activity fades
11 May 2027, 11:17 · 11 May 2027, 05:47 UTC
Other meteor shower events
The nearest occurrences before and after this one.