This year, the conditions aren’t quite perfectly dark for viewing the Eta Aquariid meteor shower. The waning Moon will illuminate the night sky at the time of the shower, reducing your visibility of faint meteors: you could still catch some brighter ones, though.
It’s predicted that there will be up to 40 meteors per hour at the peak of the Eta Aquariid’s activity. It’s also worth your while trying to see this meteor shower on the nights either side of its peak on May 7.
You may see the meteor shower written as η-Aquariid: that’s Eta, the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet. Sometimes you will also see the meteor shower spelled Eta Aquarid (with one i), but they all refer to the same meteors.
Is the Eta Aquariid meteor shower worth getting out of bed for?
Unfortunately, 2026’s Eta Aquariid meteor shower is hardly worth getting out of bed for. The peak of the Eta Aquariids coincides this year with a bright Moon near the shower’s radiant point, making meteor viewing difficult.
When and where do I look for the Eta Aquariids meteors?
The Eta Aquariid meteor shower lasts from 19th April to 28th May. The peak of about 40 meteors/hour is from 3am on 7th May. Look in the east for the Aquarius constellation and you’ll find the radiant point of this meteor shower.
What is a meteor shower?
A meteor (commonly called a “shooting star”) is an unexpected, brief streak of light seen in our night sky. It’s caused when space debris, travelling up to 75km per second, enters Earth’s atmosphere. The debris can be as small as a grain of sand, which burns up in the atmosphere and causes a brief bright streak of light in our night sky.
A meteor shower is a celestial spectacle where large numbers of meteors, or “shooting stars”, streak across the night sky. These dazzling events occur when Earth passes through the trail of debris left by a comet or other object that has come into our Solar System and orbited around the Sun. Visible to the naked eye, meteor showers offer a mesmerising display of bright streaks, adding a touch of cosmic wonder to the night.
Where is the best place for me to see the Eta Aquariid meteor shower?
The best place to see any meteor shower is away from bright city lights, somewhere that the night sky is dark with no moonlight. Bright moonlight and light pollution make it harder to see fainter meteors, however you may still be able to see the brighter ones.
We recommend that you travel out to a dark sky location at one of WA’s Astrotourism Towns. If you’re an astrophotographer, these give you an excellent opportunity to capture meteors over some of WA’s iconic landscapes.
Do I need a telescope or binoculars to see a meteor shower?
You don’t need either a telescope or binoculars to see a meteor shower. Meteor showers make for a great time to gather with friends under the stars. Simply roll out your favourite picnic rug, pack the drinks and snacks, and start counting how many “shooting stars” you see!
The predicted hourly rate of meteors you’ll see presumes you’re viewing them in a perfectly dark sky and that the shower is directly overhead, so your numbers might vary. But keep your fingers crossed for a spectacular show!
Something interesting
Meteor showers are named after the constellation where the “shooting stars” appear to be coming from. If you have a handy smartphone app that helps you identify objects in the night sky, search for the constellation, and you’ll be looking in the right direction.
You might like to report a fireball!
Be a citizen scientist and report meteor sightings. If you happen to see a very bright meteor (often referred to as a “fireball”), the fireballs team based at WA’s Curtin University would love to know. Report your fireball sighting with the International Meteor Organization.
The International Meteor Organization is a great place to discover more about all things meteors, check out their Meteor Shower Calendar, and you can even become a member.