Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower 2022: Time, Date, How and When to Watch

International

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Washington, May 05: The Eta Aquariids are a meteor shower associated with Halley’s Comet. The shower is visible from about April 19 to about May 28 each year with peak activity on or around May 5.

The Eta Aquariids get their name because their radiant appears to lie in the constellation Aquarius, near one of the constellation’s brightest stars, Eta Aquarii.

Also sometimes spelled as Eta Aquariid, the meteor shower is usually active between April 19 and May 28 every year. The forecast peak for this year’s Eta Aquariids falls on the morning of Saturday, May 7. The Moon is well out of the way, so meteors won’t be lost in its glare.

Predictions of the peak vary, however, and the shower still should be visible in the hours before dawn on May 4, 5 and 6, 2022, according to EarthSky.

The radiant, the point in the sky where the Eta Aquarids seem to emerge from, is in the direction of the constellation Aquarius. The shower is named after the brightest star of the constellation, Eta Aquarii.

Comet Halley takes around 76 years to make a complete revolution around the Sun. The next time it will be visible from Earth is in 2061.

How to See the Eta Aquarids

• Find a secluded viewing spot, away from the city lights. Once at the venue, your eyes may take 15 to 20 minutes to get used to the dark.
• Dress for the weather, and make sure you are comfortable
• Once you have found your viewing spot, lie down on the ground and look at the sky. You can use our Interactive Meteor Shower Sky Map or the table above to find the direction of the radiant; the higher the radiant is above the horizon, the more meteors you are likely to see.
• Meteor showers appear to originate from the radiant, but meteors can appear in any part of the sky.

Story first published: Thursday, May 5, 2022, 12:39 [IST]