Bill Cooke Guides Eta Aquarids Before Dawn — Meteor Shower May 2026

Bill Cooke of NASA says the meteor shower may 2026 Eta Aquarids are active from April 19 to May 28, with the peak coming overnight May 5-6. The best viewing window is before dawn on May 6, when the shower's radiant is highest in the sky.

A bright waning gibbous moon will cut into viewing conditions during the peak. For skywatchers, that means the most useful step is to head out before dawn, stay in the darkest place available, and give eyes at least 30 minutes to adjust.

Bill Cooke and NASA

Cooke, who leads the Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA, is cited as a source for seeing the Eta Aquarids. He points readers to the pre-dawn hours because the radiant climbs highest then, giving observers the best chance to catch meteors that appear to come from Aquarius.

The shower is tied to Halley's Comet, and its debris produces meteors that travel across the sky at about 41 miles per second, or 66 kilometers per second. The American Meteor Society puts the maximum rate in a clear sky at about 50 per hour.

Southern Hemisphere Skies

The Eta Aquarids are best viewed from the Southern Hemisphere or close to the equator, though people in some northern latitudes can also see them. Observers north of the equator can expect around 10 to 30 meteors per hour during the peak, a lower count than the shower can produce in darker southern skies.

No telescopes or binoculars are needed. The darkest possible location gives the best view, and the shower remains active until May 28, so people who miss the peak still have a narrow window to try again before the activity ends.

May 6 Before Dawn

The practical plan is simple: go out before dawn on May 6, face an open patch of sky, and wait long enough for dark adaptation to set in. The moon will make fainter meteors harder to see, so early-morning viewing away from bright light offers the strongest odds of catching the shower at its best.