How to watch the Eta Aquarids meteor shower this weekend
This weekend, we all have the opportunity to see something beautiful in the night sky — no matter where we are.
The Earth is currently passing through a cloud of debris left behind by Halley's Comet, and the result will be a stunning meteor shower that's visible from almost anywhere on the planet. While the Southern Hemisphere will get the best view, of around 40 visible meteors per hour during the peak, the Northern Hemisphere won't be too bad off: You can expect to see between 10 and 30 meteors per hour, depending on your location.
The meteor shower is expected to peak on Saturday night and the early hours of Sunday morning, AccuWeather reports. The Eta Aquarids, as they are known, will be even more visible than usual, because the new moon means that less ambient light will be in the sky, allowing even the dimmer meteors to shine.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
If you're the stargazing type, you'd better do your best to catch this shower — it'll be the last one until the end of July, when there'll be a stunning double meteor shower on the same night.
Your best bet to see the most meteors is to go somewhere with clear skies, little light pollution, and lie down, in order "to take in as much of the night sky as possible," AccuWeather explained. And patience is key — you might see nothing for up to 20 minutes as your eyes get used to the dark. That means no peeking at your cell phone or any light sources while you're trying to spot a meteor.
Learn more about the best way to catch the Eta Aquarids at AccuWeather.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Shivani is the editorial assistant at TheWeek.com and has previously written for StreetEasy and Mic.com. A graduate of the physics and journalism departments at NYU, Shivani currently lives in Brooklyn and spends free time cooking, watching TV, and taking too many selfies.
-
Political cartoons for October 25Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include hospital bill trauma, Independence Day, and more
-
Roasted squash and apple soup recipeThe Week Recommends Autumnal soup is full of warming and hearty flavours
-
Ukraine: Donald Trump pivots againIn the Spotlight US president apparently warned Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept Vladimir Putin’s terms or face destruction during fractious face-to-face
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year