Eta Aquariids meteor shower 2026 and 2027

What the Eta Aquariids are

The Eta Aquariids are debris from Halley’s Comet. Each time the comet passes the Sun, it sheds ice and dust, and over many orbits that material has spread along its path. Earth crosses this stream twice a year: in early May, producing the Eta Aquariids, and in October, producing the Orionids.

The name comes from Eta Aquarii, one of the stars in the “water jar” of Aquarius, near where the meteors appear to originate. Like every shower radiant, this is only a perspective effect; the meteors burn up about 50 to 75 miles above the ground, nowhere near the stars.

What they look like

These are some of the fastest meteors of the year. NASA notes that fast meteors like these can leave glowing trains, incandescent debris in the meteor’s wake that can last for several seconds to minutes.

From the US you may also catch earthgrazers. When the radiant is just above the horizon, meteors skim the atmosphere at a shallow angle and draw long trails that seem to hug the horizon. NASA says Northern Hemisphere observers see earthgrazers from this shower more often.

How to watch from the US

This is a shower for early risers. The International Meteor Organization (IMO) explains that the radiant reaches its highest point around 8 a.m. local time, in daylight, so meteors can only be seen in the hours before dawn. Useful watching is possible from places south of about 40° north, roughly the latitude of Philadelphia, Columbus and Denver. From the Gulf Coast, southern Arizona, Florida, Hawaii and Puerto Rico, the radiant gets noticeably higher before twilight, and more meteors are visible.

North of 40°, it is still worth a look, but expect far fewer meteors than the published ZHR (the zenithal hourly rate, which assumes the radiant is straight overhead). Find a spot with an open view to the east and southeast, lie back with your feet facing east as NASA suggests, and watch until the sky brightens. The best hours shown above for each city mark the window between radiant-rise and dawn. NASA says the Southern Hemisphere is the better place to see this shower, because Aquarius stands much higher there before sunrise.

Notable history

Halley’s Comet itself has the longer story. NASA notes that Edmond Halley showed in 1705 that comets seen in earlier centuries were one object returning about every 76 years, and the comet appears on the Bayeux Tapestry, made after 1066.

For the shower, IMO’s long-term records show a period of high activity around 2008, when meteoroids trapped in an orbital resonance produced unusually high rates. IMO lists a peak ZHR of about 85 in 2008 and 70 in 2009, followed by a steady decline: roughly 40 to 45 in the early 2020s, and a preliminary value of about 35 for 2026.

2026 and 2027 outlook

2026 (past). The maximum came about four days after full Moon, and IMO expected the gibbous waning Moon to disturb observations.

2027. IMO predicts the maximum on May 6 around 09h UT, with no moonlight interference during the peak period or the decline afterward. That is 5 a.m. EDT and 2 a.m. PDT, so the predawn hours of May 6 sit closest to the predicted peak across the country. IMO’s listed ZHR is 50, variable between about 40 and 80 or more, but given the recent downward trend, a lower value would not be a surprise. See the 2027 calendar for the rest of the year.