Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower
Meteors from the η-Aquarids (Eta-Aquarids) meteor shower have already started shooting across the sky. This meteor shower, like others, is named after it’s apparent radiant, the constellation Aquarius or “The Great One” according to Babylonian Mythos is host to our next meteor shower. The η-Aquarids is traditionally best viewed by those living in the southern hemisphere because Aquarius has a higher zenith. (What is a zenith? Try the MeteorBlog.com Meteor Glossary) If you live in the northern hemisphere don’t be alarmed, it doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to see this meteor shower, you just won’t be able to observe as many meteors as those who reside south of the equator. In 1886 W.F. Denning confirmed that the source of the Eta-Aquarids was in fact Halley’s Comet, IP/Halley was last observed without a telescope in 1986 and will not be viewable with the naked eye again until approximately 2061. The best date for viewing the Eta-Aquarids this year is May 6th and will be our next featured meteor shower for May 2009. Please bookmark the site for more meteor facts and information. As always your comments are greatly appreciated and keep your head up!
on Apr 29th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
My son and I saw a meteor streak across the sky in Phoenix, AZ about 7:26 p.m. on April 28, 2009. Wonder if it is one of the eta-aquarids? It was moving across the sky toward the northeast, and an orange burst came from the tail just as it passed behind the North Mountains from our vantage point.
on Apr 29th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
Marsha,
I wish I could say yes definitively, I would have had to see it, and plot it’s backward path to a radiant, so it would be hard for anyone to tell not just me, if they weren’t there to see it.
Click on the link here: http://www.meteorblog.com/?s=sporadic
You may find some info that may help you out. I wish i could give you a better answer.
- Meteor Mark
on Apr 29th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
Hey Mark,
Love your site, I am here almost daily eager to see when my next best chance to see a meteor is. I’m very ignorant when it comes to the night sky, and I’ve found that the sky maps don’t help me. If I could just get a general direction to look for the aquariads shower I would be hugely grateful. I Live in Orlando and have a pretty good view of the entire sky. Thanks bud, any help would be appreciated.
on Apr 29th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
Farmboy,
I will be making a more detailed post before the peak which is May 5th & 6th. I will include some other cool meteor facts.
Thanks for the nice compliment on the site, I promise to put a good meteor shower article on the home page a one or two days before the peak, sound fair?
Keep your head up!
- Meteor Mark
on May 1st, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Hi Mark,
this site is awesome! thankyou so much. my son and i watched what we thought may have ben a meteor shower for a couple nights last year. it was outa this world! we felt so priveleged to be able to be in the same place at the same time to share the galaxial entertainment put on for us!
now i know this site is here i will be here more often to check out waht you have so generously put together for all to share and enjoy! again, thanx xo
on May 1st, 2009 at 9:05 pm
Shari,
It is comments like this one that make it all worth it. It is nice to share my enthusiasm for meteors with the world!
The simple pleasures of life!
- Meteor Mark
on May 3rd, 2009 at 12:52 pm
I live in New York. From what I’ve read the best thing for me to do is get up at 3am on May 6 and look South East. Can someone verify this and maybe give me tips? Thank you
on May 3rd, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Sam,
In New York, yes look southeast. The constellation Aquarius will be low on the horizon. What tips are you looking for? Ask a question. You may notice the Meteor Shower Viewing page in the upper right hand corner of this page.
Keep your head up!
- Meteor Mark
on May 3rd, 2009 at 3:10 pm
I am in London and the sky is clear. Any chance to see some meteors here, from 6th of May I will be one week in Hamburg, Germany, same question for over there
on May 3rd, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Greta and Stumm,
Yes, take a look at my last blog post. Both London and Hamburg are in the northern hemisphere so you will be able to view this shower. However, those in the southern hemisphere will see more meteors.
Thanks for your comment and let me know if you see anything.
Keep your head up.
- Meteor Mark
Meteor Shower – Eta Aquarids – Information
on May 3rd, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Thanks for the help. I’m not sure what tips I was looking for either so whatever. Is 3am the right time or should I look for it earlier?
on May 3rd, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Sorry one more question. I have a bunch of trees surrounding my house, will i be able to see it? You say that aquarius is low on the horizon does that mean i need to be on a field?
on May 3rd, 2009 at 3:48 pm
Sam,
Earlier? as in after 3am? Yes. There is a misconception that meteor showers are a night time viewing event. They are actually a morning event. The meteor shower viewing page on this site has some links to other articles like “when to look” and the glossary may give you some more information. Just make sure your viewing session takes place when it is darkest and you are in a safe place away from man made lights.
Do me a favor, stop by the site if you see any meteors and let me know. I am always up to read what people see.
Keep your head up.
- Meteor Mark
on May 3rd, 2009 at 3:55 pm
Sam,
The short answer is the more sky you can see the better chance you have of seeing meteors, they can be seen anywhere in the sky. Refer to the meteor glossary here on the site and view the term radiant.
Because the radiant is low on the horizon, we lose some of the meteors that would be streaking away from the radiant below the horizon.
- Meteor Mark
on May 3rd, 2009 at 6:37 pm
Thanks so much. I clearly don’t know much about this. This site is so great!
on May 5th, 2009 at 10:07 pm
I don’t think I’ll see it. It’s so cloudy this week.
on May 5th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
Sam,
Me too. It may be active until the 10th.
Keep your head up!
- Meteor Mark
on May 11th, 2009 at 10:39 am
Today nearly 1am (moscow time) seen a very big group of objects burning high. It was moving straight above Saratov city and moving to the north.
We watched it for 10-15 minutes and it dissapeared behind the skyline.
Know what was that?
on May 24th, 2009 at 2:29 am
Hi Alex,
Sometimes the kind of entries you are describing are satellite related, last time i heard of anything close to your description was when the the Russian space station Mir that was launched on February 20, 1986. entered the northern hemisphere on July 11, 1979 – I know there was some debris predicted to enter on the 12 and 13th March 2009 355 debris fragments from the collision between the Russian Cosmos 2251 and the US Iridium 33 satellites are being tracked by US Strategic Command. Could be something they didn’t see related to the incident though. Read more about that here
http://www.universetoday.com/2009/03/10/debris-from-satellite-collision-to-start-entering-earths-atmosphere/
Then again that could have well been a part of Haley’s trail also, as i suspect my sighting to be a part of the eta Aquarids shower of 5-6 May 2009
I do hope this helps you explain to your son, your shared account of objects entering the soviet skies, but hopefully M Mark will reply soon with more than i could.
I have a pertinent question for Mark Also.
I reside in the Canadian capital Ottawa (WGS84 45° 25′ 15″ N, 75° 41′ 24″ W) and i witnessed three entries on the 23rd between 2 and 4 am (those times are Eastern Standard Times -5 GMT) – I wasn’t out there for long (the time to smoke a cigarette) but these observations where made on two separate instances. Leading me to believe and ask, are these part of the eta Aquarids shower of 5-6 May 2009? could these be part of Haley’s trail? Any and all comments would be appreciated. I just want confirmation that there were unexpected showers last night or that they are satellite related as i explained to Alex above? Oh i was looking at the western sky at the time of the sightings.
Thanks in advance for your time and attention in this matter.
on May 24th, 2009 at 2:51 am
Cruise,
I wish I could definitively say, “yes”. But I will answer with a “maybe”. The Eta Aquarids are active until May 28th. The radiant is currently located in the southeast on the horizon. I am not saying that “Eta-A” meteors will only be in the southeast, but if you trace their backward path to Aquarius then we might assume they are Eta Aquarid meteors. Eta Aquarid meteors seem to streak really quickly in relation to other meteors and tend to be very bright as well.
Antihelion Source meteors also occur in May, though these might be credited to sporadic sightings too. Not all meteors are attributed to a comet, however in most cases meteor showers are. Unfortunately I would have to see them with my own eyes to be firmer with my answer.
Hope this helps.
Keep your head up,
- Meteor Mark
on May 29th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
Dude, i saw a lot of very good, bright, second or two long lasting meteors on the night of the 29th.
on Jun 4th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Hi,
I’m in Toronto and love watching the stars, don’t know to much about them though. Any hints on when to look out for a meteor shower in our area?
Thanks so much.
on Jun 4th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Welsh,
The next meteor shower is in June: The June Bootids
- Meteor Mark