Eta Aquariids

The Eta Aquariids are a meteor shower associated with Halley's Comet.

The shower is visible from mid April to late May each year with peak activity on or around May 6.

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. The shower peaks at about a rate of around a meteor per minute, although such rates are rarely seen from northern latitudes due to the low altitude of the radiant before dawn. In 2005, the shower was favorably viewable because it occurred near a new moon. In 2011, the maximum of the shower is once again favoured by a new moon, falling on the 3rd May, which means that the period around maximum will be visible in moon-free skies. Although this shower is not as spectacular as the leonid shower, it is not an ordinary event.

The Eta Aquariids are best viewed in the pre-dawn hours away from the glow of city lights. The radiant of the shower is only above the horizon for the few hours before dawn, and early-rising observers are often rewarded with rates that climb as the radiant rises before sunrise.

External links

• Worldwide viewing times for the 2011 Eta Aquariids meteor shower
• Observing and History of the Eta Aquariids
• Detailed information on the 2011 maximum of the Eta Aquarids, courtesy of the International Meteor Organization