The Eta Aquarid meteor shower is the first of two showers that occur each year as a result of Earth passing through dust released by Halley's Comet, with the second being the Orionids. The point from where the Eta Aquarid meteors appear to radiate is located within the constellation Aquarius. Sadly, this location is a bit of a detriment to observers, because this area of this sky only rises an hour or so before morning twilight begins.

Every year, the earliest Eta Aquarids can be seen around April 21 and they persist until about May 12; however, the number of meteors you are likely to see will be low until around the time of the peak on May 5/6. At this time, observers in the Northern Hemisphere are likely to see about 10 meteors every hour, while Southern Hemisphere observers will see about 30 per hour. Currently, our weather forecast is for clear skies Wednesday night into Thursday morning. But as mentioned, the best time will be about an hour before sunrise on Thursday morning. This makes it tough for viewers that work, unless you're use to getting up and hour or so before sunrise.

There are other, weaker meteor showers going on around the same time as the Eta Aquarids. The Eta Aquarids generally appear to move fast. When you see a meteor, mentally trace it backwards. If you end up at Aquarius then you have probably seen an Eta Aquarid meteor! If you are not sure where Aquarius is in the sky, the following chart should help you find it.