Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower Peaks May 5-6, Bright Moon May Obscure View

The Eta Aquarid meteor shower, active from April 19 to May 28, peaks on the night of May 5 into May 6. Best viewed from the Southern Hemisphere, the shower can produce up to 50 meteors per hour there, while Northern Hemisphere viewers may see only about ten, according to NASA. The moon will be 84 percent full, as reported by the American Meteor Society, potentially obscuring fainter meteors. The meteors originate from debris left by Halley's Comet (1P/Halley), which orbits Earth every 76 years and is next due in 2061. Halley's debris also causes the Orionid shower in October. The Eta Aquarids are known for their speed, entering Earth's atmosphere at about 40.7 miles per second, leaving glowing trains lasting seconds to minutes. The radiant point is near the star Eta Aquarii in the Aquarius constellation, which is higher in the Southern Hemisphere sky. For optimal viewing, go outside before dawn on May 6, find a dark spot with the moon blocked by a building or hill, allow 30 minutes for eyes to adjust, and look east toward Aquarius without binoculars or telescopes. Teri Gee, manager of the Barlow Planetarium in Wisconsin, told the Associated Press that for the Northern Hemisphere, the shower is less impressive. Nico Adams, an astrophysicist with SSP International, advised looking for bright streaks in peripheral vision. If missed, the Southern Delta Aquariids peak in late July, also better for the Southern Hemisphere, and the Perseids will occur later in summer.