The Eta Aquariids from Hawaiʻi
When the Eta Aquariids peak this year from Hawaiʻi, how high the radiant climbs at 19.8°N, and what the moon does to the night.
The 2027 peak night, computed for Hawaiʻi
Wednesday, May 5
Best around 4:25 AM HST, when the radiant tops out about 34° up.
The moon is 0% lit that night. Out of the way, the sky stays dark.
Planning further out: the next peak lands May 4, 2028, with the moon 85% lit. After that, the next peak with the moon this far out of the way is May 5, 2030, at 10% lit.
✉️ Sky-event email alerts
Next up: The Geminids peak, December 13. We send one email about three days before it, with the sky forecast from up on the mountain, and the same for the handful of other showers a year worth the drive. Nothing else, and one click to stop.
What you'll actually see
Fast, with long paths and frequent trains. The classic Eta Aquariid is an earthgrazer caught in the hour before first light: a slow-unzipping streak that crosses a third of the sky.
Debris from comet 1P/Halley, crossed inbound each May. It is the Orionids' spring sibling, from the same ancient trail.
Entry speed: about 66 km/s.
When it runs
Active from mid-April to late May, with a broad peak in the first week of May. Strictly a pre-dawn event: the radiant does not rise until the small hours.
From 19.8°N
This is the shower Hawaiʻi wins. The radiant sits on the celestial equator, so at 40°N it barely clears the horizon before dawn and the shower gets written off; from 19.8°N it climbs high enough to run at a real fraction of its potential. One of the best showers of the year here, and almost nobody visiting knows it.
Making the night work
The technique is the same for every shower: dark spot, no telescope, eyes adapted, radiant up. The rules live on the calendar page.
Tours & booking
No 4WD, or want it handled?
Summit tours from Kona, Waikoloa and Hilo bundle the 4WD, parkas, dinner and a telescope, typically $150 to $330 a person.
Tour or drive yourself? The honest comparison
Tour links are affiliate links to Viator; we may earn a commission at no cost to you.
Peak instants and radiant heights computed by this site from solar longitude with astronomy-engine; stream facts from the American Meteor Society and IMO shower notes. Independent project, affiliated with no observatory or agency.