The Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower Peaks This Weekend — How to Watch It

If you are looking for a fun celestial occasion, you are likely to want to preserve your eye on the sky: the once-a-year Eta Aquarid meteor shower will be energetic from April 15 by way of Might 27 in 2024. And even though you could have been ready to catch a handful of shooting stars for each night in the suitable disorders, the meteor shower’s peak is Might 5 and 6, building this coming Sunday and Monday the time to start off finding outdoors for some star-gazing.

In the course of the peak of the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, observers north of the equator can hope to see 10 to 30 meteors per hour men and women in the southern hemisphere will have an even greater shot and recognizing shooting stars. The Eta Aquarid meteor shower is such a robust shower that even nevertheless it requires location whilst the moon is lighting up the sky, we should really have a great opportunity of seeing it. Here’s how to boost your possibilities, as properly as additional data about what the Eta Aquarid meteor shower is.

What Is the Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower?

The Eta Aquarid shower happens when Earth passes through the debris trails of Halley’s Comet, letting for bits of ice and rock to burn up up in our environment as meteors. Enjoyment actuality: Halley’s Comet was previous observed in 1986 and will be noticeable once more in 2061. But the particles that tends to make up the Eta Aquarid meteor shower was basically thrown off the comet in 390 BC!

The capturing stars arrive from the constellation Aquarius, which is how the normal phenomena acquired its identify. This function takes place 2 times a 12 months with the Orionid meteor shower taking place in the slide from Sept. 26 as a result of Nov. 22, with the peak predicted to consider position on Oct. 20 and 21.

How Can I Look at the Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower?

The most effective way to check out this shower (and any meteor shower) is to get outdoors and absent from mild pollution. The darker the sky, the improved. We recommend lying flat on your back again as nicely so you can really choose it all in, and making it possible for you at the very least 30 minutes for your eyes to absolutely change to the darkish. Through that time, resist the temptation to use your mobile phone or just about anything else that emits light-weight — you want your eyes to alter so you can spot the delicate lights from the taking pictures stars.

A different tip: will not consider to emphasis as well tricky on the constellation Aquarius the shower need to be noticeable throughout the sky, so search at close by constellations way too. You will not have to have binoculars or exclusive devices either, while if you have an astrophotography-helpful digicam, that can be fun.

But will not worry if you skip the peak of the Eta Aquarid shower — the meteors are generally viewable at dawn a couple evenings ahead of and after the peak as well.

When Is the Next Meteor Shower?

The next potent meteor shower right after the Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower is the Southern Delta Aquarids, from July 18 to Aug. 21 with a peak on July 30.

Haley Lyndes was an assistant editor for PS Shopping in which she discovered and examined the finest property, magnificence, and trend goods. She is a graduate of Northern Vermont University and has just about 5 many years of practical experience in both of those composed and broadcast journalism.

Kelsey Garcia is the associate articles director of PS Harmony, the place she oversees lifestyle protection, from courting to parenting and economic wellness. Kelsey is passionate about vacation, pores and skin-care traits, and improvements in the social media landscape. Before becoming a member of the PS team far more than eight decades in the past as an editorial assistant, she interned at Elle and Harper’s Bazaar, among other publications.