Will I see the Eta Aquariids 2027?
Dust from Halley's Comet. Best from the southern hemisphere and the tropics; from Europe only a few appear before dawn.
Good year
Up to about 9 meteors an hour from a dark place near London around 03:51, with no moon to spoil it. In a city, about 2.
From your city, 5–6 May
Meteors an hour at the best moment of the peak night (local time), from a dark place nearby and from the city itself, and how often the sky was clear on that night (2014–2025).
UK & Ireland
| City | Best time | Dark sky | In the city | Clear sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 03:51 | 9/h | 2/h | 70% |
| Manchester | 03:36 | 6/h | 1/h | 39% |
| Birmingham | 03:51 | 8/h | 1/h | 53% |
| Bristol | 03:51 | 8/h | 1/h | 50% |
| Cardiff | 03:51 | 7/h | 1/h | 47% |
| Newcastle | 03:21 | 4/h | 1/h | 33% |
| Glasgow | 03:21 | 2/h | 0/h | 30% |
| Edinburgh | 03:21 | 3/h | 1/h | 29% |
| Belfast | 03:51 | 5/h | 1/h | 16% |
| Dublin | 03:51 | 5/h | 1/h | 38% |
Europe
| City | Best time | Dark sky | In the city | Clear sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris | 04:51 | 11/h | 2/h | 44% |
| Amsterdam | 04:21 | 7/h | 1/h | 37% |
| Brussels | 04:36 | 9/h | 2/h | 47% |
| Berlin | 03:51 | 8/h | 1/h | 53% |
| Munich | 04:21 | 12/h | 2/h | 36% |
| Zurich | 04:36 | 12/h | 2/h | 37% |
| Vienna | 04:06 | 12/h | 2/h | 34% |
| Copenhagen | 03:21 | 3/h | 1/h | 66% |
| Stockholm | – | 0/h | 0/h | 38% |
| Oslo | – | 0/h | 0/h | 44% |
| Helsinki | – | 0/h | 0/h | 47% |
| Reykjavík | – | 0/h | 0/h | 33% |
| Madrid | 05:51 | 18/h | 3/h | 45% |
| Barcelona | 05:21 | 17/h | 3/h | 48% |
| Lisbon | 05:21 | 20/h | 4/h | 43% |
| Rome | 04:51 | 18/h | 3/h | 65% |
| Athens | 05:06 | 19/h | 4/h | – |
North America
| City | Best time | Dark sky | In the city | Clear sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 04:36 | 19/h | 4/h | 38% |
| Boston | 04:21 | 18/h | 3/h | 46% |
| Washington DC | 04:51 | 19/h | 4/h | 55% |
| Atlanta | 05:36 | 23/h | 4/h | 69% |
| Miami | 05:36 | 28/h | 5/h | 66% |
| Chicago | 04:21 | 17/h | 3/h | 61% |
| Dallas | 05:36 | 25/h | 5/h | 68% |
| Denver | 04:36 | 18/h | 3/h | 58% |
| Phoenix | 04:36 | 24/h | 5/h | 83% |
| Los Angeles | 04:51 | 23/h | 4/h | 67% |
| San Francisco | 04:51 | 19/h | 4/h | 69% |
| Seattle | 04:21 | 13/h | 2/h | 61% |
| Toronto | 04:51 | 17/h | 3/h | 64% |
| Montreal | 04:06 | 13/h | 3/h | 62% |
| Vancouver | 04:06 | 10/h | 2/h | 65% |
| Calgary | 04:21 | 8/h | 2/h | 60% |
Australia, New Zealand & South Africa
| City | Best time | Dark sky | In the city | Clear sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | 05:36 | 34/h | 6/h | 61% |
| Melbourne | 06:06 | 33/h | 6/h | 55% |
| Brisbane | 05:21 | 35/h | 7/h | 70% |
| Perth | 05:51 | 35/h | 7/h | 54% |
| Auckland | 05:51 | 32/h | 6/h | – |
| Christchurch | 06:21 | 30/h | 6/h | – |
| Cape Town | 06:21 | 36/h | 7/h | 63% |
The coming years
The moon decides most years. From a dark place near London at the best time:
| Year | Peak night (UK) | Moon | Meteors/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 5–6 May | 0% | 9 |
| 2028 | 5–6 May | 87% | 7 |
| 2029 | 5–6 May | 47% | 6 |
| 2030 | 5–6 May | 10% | 8 |
Eta Aquariids in numbers
- Active
- Apr 19 – May 28
- Radiant
- Aquarius (RA 338°, Dec -1°)
- Speed
- 66 km/s
- Parent
- comet 1P/Halley
- Best from
- the southern hemisphere and tropics
Other showers coming up
Northern Taurids
Quiet showerUp to 5 an hour in perfect skiesLeonids
Worth a lookUp to 15 an hour in perfect skiesGeminids
Great yearUp to 150 an hour in perfect skiesUrsids
Quiet showerUp to 10 an hour in perfect skiesEta Aquariids: questions
It peaks at 05:51 UTC on 6 May 2027, so the best night is 5–6 May 2027 in the UK. It is active from Apr 19 – May 28.
In perfect skies up to 50 an hour (the ZHR). From a dark place near London, about 9 an hour at the best time; near New York 19; near Sydney 34. From a town, about a fifth of that.
Around 03:51 in the UK on the peak night, when the radiant in Aquarius is 11° high and the moon is down. Check your own city above.
Dust from comet 1P/Halley. The Earth crosses its trail every year; the bits burn up at 66 km/s about 100 km up. They seem to come from Aquarius, which gives the shower its name.
From airport weather records 2014–2025, the sky on the Eta Aquariids peak nights was on average 70% clear in London, 38% in New York and 61% in Sydney. Every city is in the table above.