Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks this week! Here’s how to watch the show.
The Eta Aquarid meteor shower could produce up to 50 shooting stars per hour during its peak on Thursday (May 5), weather permitting.
Meteor showers are medium-luminosity, which means darker skies will produce more meteors. According to Bill Cooke, head of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office, the best views will happen before dawn.
The moon will be in a crescent moon phase (about 15% full) when the showers peak. While the show is best seen from the Southern Hemisphere or near the equator, it is also visible to some northerly. Look for the constellation Aquarius, located in the southern sky.
Related: Meteor Shower Guide 2022: Watch Dates and Tips
If you’re hoping to take pictures of the Eta Aquarid meteor, our guide to shooting meteor showers can help. You can also use our best camera for astrophotography and best lens for astrophotography guide to prepare for the next meteor shower.
According to Cooke, the best way to see a meteor is to lie on your back while looking straight up. That position will give the greatest view of the sky without neck strain.
The Eta Aquarids are related to Halley’s Comet, which returns to Earth every 76 years. The “shooting stars” you see will be dust particles or small pebbles that burn up high in the atmosphere. Meteorites, or the space rock that created it on the ground, tend to come from one-off fireballs of asteroid debris.
Meteor showers are known for their fast-moving trails with long trains that, according to the Meteor Society of America, zip through the atmosphere at 41 miles (66 km) per day, according to the Meteor Society of America. second.
Editor’s Note: If you took a great photo of the Eta Aquarid meteor or any other night sky sight and you want to share it with Space.com for a story or image gallery, send the image, comments and location information to spacephotos@space.com .
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