The Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks next week: Here's what you need to know

TIME·May 1

Here’s How to Best Watch the Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower

In just a few days, you could have the chance to see a meteor shower at its peak.The Eta Aquarid meteor shower started nearly two weeks ago, and will continue for most of this month. But the best opportunity you have to see the most meteors streaking across the sky will be next week.Here’s everything you need to know about the celestial phenomenon and how to watch it.What is the Eta Aquarid meteor shower?Often called “shooting stars” or “falling stars,” meteors are caused by space debris burning up as they travel through the Earth’s atmosphere, leaving streaks of light in the sky. You can see a few meteors each hour on a typical night under the right conditions. But meteor showers are special because you can see many more meteors in the same short time frame. During the peak of the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, for instance, you could see as many as 50 meteors per hour, according to NASA.The Eta Aquarid meteor shower starts in mid-April each year, and lasts until late May. The phenomenon is caused by debris from Halley’s comet that enters the Earth’s atmosphere.“Each time that Halley returns to the inner solar system its nucleus sheds

USA Today·May 3

Eta Aquarids meteor shower peaks soon. When, where to get the best views

Updated May 3, 2026, 6:18 a.m. ETIn the early morning hours of May 5-6, the Eta Aquarids meteor shower is expected to peak, giving stargazers the chance to see a number of shooting stars.The Eta Aquarids meteors are renowned for their speed. They enter Earth’s atmosphere at about 40.7 miles per second, leaving "trains" – glowing pieces of debris in the meteor’s wake – that linger for several seconds, according to NASA.Under clear skies, the Eta Aquarids can produce a maximum rate of about 50 shooting stars per hour, according to the American Meteor Society.Here’s where and when to get the best views of the Eta Aquarids meteor shower.Where to view the Eta Aquarids meteor showerThe shower’s radiant, the point in the sky from which Eta Aquarids meteors appear to originate, is located in the constellation Aquarius. For the best views, look toward the east during the pre-dawn hours of May 5-6, when the shower is predicted to peak.Stargazers should still be able to see some meteors until around May 21, although they will not be as bright after the peak, according to NASA.Unable to view our graphics? Click here to see them. Where do the Eta Aquarids come from?The

Space.com·May 2

The Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks next week: Here's what you need to know

The Eta Aquarid meteor shower is almost here! Here's what you need to know as the shooting star display ramps up to peak activity, including when and where to look, viewing conditions and more!Canon EOS R7 camera (Image credit: Future/Kimberley Lane)The Canon EOS R7 is the best camera for beginners hoping to capture shooting stars. Read our full Canon EOS R7 review.In 2026, the Eta Aquarid peak will occur overnight on May 5-6, as Earth travels through the densest part of Halley's debris stream. Stargazers in the southern hemisphere could see up to 50 shooting stars crisscrossing the night sky while those in the northern hemisphere will be treated to a more modest showing of between 10-30 meteors per hour, according to the American Meteor Society.Shooting stars associated with the shower become visible when tiny shards of Comet Halley impact Earth's gaseous shell at over 40.7 miles per second (64 kilometers per second), carving a fiery path through the atmosphere as they're overwhelmed by the pressure and force of atmospheric entry.Viewing conditionsThe 84%-lit waning gibbous moon will flood the sky with moonlight after it rises around midnight on the night of May 5-6, which will hide fainter shooting stars, dropping