SkyRef / Meteor showers

The Eta Aquariids meteor shower

Peaks 05/06 at up to 50 per hour under ideal conditions. Not currently active.

The essentials

Peak05/06
Active04/19–05/28
Peak rate (ZHR)50/hr
Speed66 km/s
Radiant RA22.5h
Radiant Dec-1°

Status right now: Not currently active.

What to expect

Fast, often leaving persistent trains. Much better from the southern hemisphere.

The Eta Aquariids come from comet Halley, and enter the atmosphere at about 66 kilometres per second. That is fast, which tends to produce brief, sharp streaks that often leave persistent trains.

About that ZHR number

The quoted rate of 50 per hour is the zenithal hourly rate — the count you would get with the radiant directly overhead, under a perfectly dark sky, with no moon. Nobody's actual conditions match that. Real counts are typically a third to a half of the headline figure, and considerably less with a bright moon or from a town.

SkyRef scales the estimate by the real altitude of the radiant from your location and tells you when the moon is going to ruin it, rather than repeating a number you will never see.

How to watch

Do not use a telescope or binoculars — meteors appear all over the sky and you want the widest possible view. Lie back, look roughly halfway up, and give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt. Face away from the moon if it is up. Patience matters more than equipment.

Check tonight's conditions

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