The BRICS TimesThe Eta Aquariid meteor shower born from the dust trail of Halley’s Comet hits its peak on May 6, 2026. Stargazers can catch up to 40 shooting stars per hour, but timing and location are everything.
What Is the Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower?
Every year in early May, Earth passes through a trail of cosmic dust left behind by the legendary Halley’s Comet. These tiny particles slam into Earth’s atmosphere at roughly 67 kilometres per second. They burn up in a brilliant flash, creating glowing streaks we call meteors or, more romantically, shooting stars. This annual celestial event goes by the name Eta Aquariids, and in 2026, it’s putting on one of its finest shows yet.
When Exactly Does the Peak Happen?
The meteor shower peaks at 2:30 PM (14:30) Indian Standard Time (IST, UTC+5:30) on May 6, 2026. However and this is crucial the best time to actually watch it is not at noon. Experts at the Moscow Planetarium say the ideal viewing window falls in the early pre-dawn hours, specifically between 2:00 AM and 4:00 AM local time. That’s when the sky is darkest and the radiant the point in the sky from which meteors appear to originate sits at its highest angle above the horizon.
Where Should You Watch From?
“The best time to observe meteors is in early May during the pre-dawn hours between 2:00 AM and 4:00 AM Indian Standard Time and far away from city lights,” a spokesperson from the Local Planetarium said. They added that the shower’s radiant point lies in the constellation Aquarius, which rises only a couple of hours before sunrise in mid-latitude regions. It stays low above the southeastern horizon just a sliver of sky for a brief window before dawn washes it out. The radiant reaches its highest point around 8:00 AM local time, which ironically is too bright to observe.
Viewing from the Southern Hemisphere Is Easier
One honest caveat this meteor shower strongly favours the Southern Hemisphere. Because the radiant sits low in the sky for viewers in Russia and other mid-latitude countries, the meteors tend to skim across the horizon rather than arc high overhead. But there’s a silver lining when the radiant is low, meteors leave strikingly long, dramatic trails across the night sky. These elongated streaks can actually look more spectacular than the typical short flashes seen when a radiant is overhead.
How Many Shooting Stars Can You Expect?
The Eta Aquariid shower runs from April 19 through May 28 nearly six full weeks of activity. Already since May 3, favourable conditions could deliver 30 or more shooting stars per hour. On the night of the peak, that number climbs to around 40 meteors per hour under dark, clear skies.
Will the Moon Interfere?
Unfortunately, yes at least a little. The Moscow Planetarium noted that in early May, the Moon remains fairly close to its full phase, having reached full moon on May 1. Moonlight adds a layer of background glow that can wash out fainter meteors. Still, the shower’s activity remains strong practically through the end of May. Clear nights throughout the rest of the month will still reward patient stargazers with plenty of shooting stars streaking across the dark.
