The Eta Aquariids for Kids
Next peak · 187 nights to go
Night of 5–6 May 2027 · Moon 0% · Good
Worth a look after dark, if the sky is clear.
None in the evening: the radiant is below the horizon.
The next Eta Aquariids peak is the night of 5–6 May 2027. No Moon to spoil it: a dark sky. Verdict: good. Worth a look after dark, if the sky is clear. At best a dark sky gives about 40 an hour, by the American Meteor Society's calendar; the Moon is from astronomy-engine.
The Eta Aquariids come from Halley's Comet. They are early-morning shooting stars in May.
Halley's Comet comes by every 76 years, and Earth crosses its dust twice a year. In May we get the Eta Aquariids. From the United States they are best just before dawn, low in the east.
The Eta Aquariids are richer from the Southern Hemisphere, where the radiant rises higher; from the middle of the United States expect perhaps 10 to 20 an hour at best, fewer in the north. The grains are fast, about 66 kilometers a second, and often leave trains.
You can see bits of Halley's Comet twice a year, even though the comet itself next comes back in 2061.
Which way to look, and when
Low in the east-south-east in the last hour before dawn.
Only the last hour or two before dawn; better the farther south you live. Active 15 April to 27 May.
Where does it come from?
The Eta Aquariids are dust from Halley's Comet. The bits hit the air at about 66 kilometers a second and glow as they burn up. The streaks seem to start from Aquarius, which is how the shower got its name.
Every peak in our table
| Night of 5–6 May 2027 | Good. No Moon to spoil it: a dark sky. |
|---|
Some calendars give a peak one night either side; a shower is active for days around it, so the nights next to the peak are worth a look too.
How to watch
- Go out with a grown-up, dressed warmer than you think, with a blanket or a reclining chair.
- Put phones away and give your eyes twenty minutes to get used to the dark.
- Look up at the whole sky, not at one spot, and count every streak you see.
The shower night kit
One sheet to take outside: a box for every ten minutes, a line for the brightest one, and a tick for the clouds. Counting is the game.
The Eta Aquariids: my shower night
Peak: the night of 5–6 May 2027. Look up at the whole sky. The streaks point back to Aquarius. peabody.kids/space/showers/eta-aquariids
☐ Warm coat and hat ☐ Blanket or chair ☐ Grown-up ☐ Phones away for 20 minutes
| Ten minutes from | Shooting stars I counted (|||| ||) |
|---|---|
| ____ : ____ | |
| ____ : ____ | |
| ____ : ____ | |
| ____ : ____ | |
| ____ : ____ | |
| ____ : ____ |
The brightest one went from ________________ to ________________.
Clouds? ☐ none ☐ some ☐ lots · My total: ______
If the sky is clear. Peak night and rate: American Meteor Society; the Moon: astronomy-engine.
Other showers
“Don't look at one spot. Lie back and let your eyes take in the whole sky.”