Eta Aquariid meteor shower 2027

When the Eta Aquariids peak in 2027

In 2027 the Eta Aquariids peak at 2027-05-06 15:13 UTC, when the Sun reaches solar longitude 45.5° (J2000). That makes the night of May 6–7 the one to watch; the activity window opens April 19, 193 days from now.

The Moon will be 0% illuminated (new moon) at the peak: dark skies, excellent. In 2028 the peak falls on May 5, 2028 with the Moon 89% lit, a worse year for moonlight.

From 45° N the radiant stands -36° high at 10 pm and 24° at 4 am local time, so the pre-dawn hours are best. With the radiant at 24°, a ZHR of 50 means roughly 20 meteors per hour under a perfectly dark sky; light pollution and moonlight cut that a lot. The radiant is close to the celestial equator, so it rises everywhere except near the poles.

How high the radiant gets

Radiant altitude on the peak night at 10 pm and 4 am local time. The higher the radiant, the more meteors you see.

How to watch the Eta Aquariids

Get away from street lights, let your eyes adapt for 20–30 minutes, and look about 40–60° away from the radiant rather than straight at it; meteors appear all over the sky and their trails point back to the radiant (RA 22h 32m, Dec −1°). No telescope or binoculars needed.

Eta Aquariid meteors enter the atmosphere at 66 km/s, fast enough that many leave glowing trains that linger for a second or two. Debris from Halley's Comet, the Eta Aquariids are fast meteors that often leave glowing trains. The radiant rises only shortly before dawn, so the shower is far better from the tropics and the Southern Hemisphere.

Eta Aquariids peak dates

Peak times come from the mean solar longitude of maximum; real peaks can shift by several hours, and unexpected outbursts happen.

Next meteor showers

• Northern Taurids (Nov 12)
• Leonids (Nov 17)
• Geminids (Dec 14)
• Ursids (Dec 22)
• Quadrantids (Jan 4)

More sky pages

• Meteor showers 2027 calendar
• Aurora forecast