Eta Aquariids 2026: peak night, meteors per hour and where to watch
The Eta Aquariids are the May shower from Halley's Comet. They are best from the southern hemisphere and the tropics; from mid-northern latitudes the radiant is low before dawn and few meteors show — but they are fast, with long trains.
- Peak night
- 5–6 May
- ZHR
- up to 50 an hour
- Moon
- 81% — in the way
- Active
- 19 April — 28 May
- Radiant
- Aquarius · low, before dawn
- Best time over London
- around 03:51, radiant 11° up
- Under a dark sky
- ≈ 9 meteors an hour
- Speed
- 66 km/s
- Parent
- 1P/Halley
How to see a meteor shower, not three meteors
- 1
Get away from light pollution
The Dark Sky layer on the map shows where it is Bortle 4 or darker, with campsites nearby.
- 2
Wait until after midnight
The radiant climbs towards morning and Earth 'flies into' the dust: two to three times more meteors than in the evening.
- 3
Look away from the radiant
40–60° from the radiant meteors are longer. Lie down, keep warm, give your eyes 20 minutes without a phone.
Eta Aquariids FAQ
When do the Eta Aquariids peak in 2026?
On the night of 5–6 May; over London the best time is around 03:51, when the radiant in Aquarius is 11° up.
How many meteors will I see?
The shower ZHR is 50; over London under a dark sky about 9 an hour, in a city just a few.
Will the Moon get in the way?
Yes: on the peak night the Moon is 81% lit and above the horizon — look away from it or watch a couple of nights before the peak.
Other meteor showers of 2026
Quadrantids · 3–4 JanuaryLyrids · 22–23 AprilSouthern Delta Aquariids · 31 July — 1 AugustAlpha Capricornids · 31 July — 1 AugustPerseids · 12–13 AugustDraconids · 8–9 OctoberOrionids · 21–22 OctoberSouthern Taurids · 5–6 NovemberNorthern Taurids · 12–13 NovemberLeonids · 17–18 NovemberDecember Monocerotids · 8–9 DecemberSigma Hydrids · 8–9 DecemberGeminids · 14–15 DecemberUrsids · 22–23 DecemberMeteor showers 2026 →