The Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower Ushers in Great Change
May 17, 2023 | Jasmine Wolfe
This May brings us the Eta Aquarids Meteor shower and with it comes an excellent opportunity for revolution and change in our lives as well as in and in the world.
This year the annual shower coincides with the Scorpio full moon lunar eclipse, which makes for a dull shower since the light of the moon will outshine the meteors but the powerful energy of the eclipses promises great things.
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What is a Meteor Shower?
Meteor showers rain down upon earth annually, lighting up the sky with bright fire trails of light, but where does it come from? These dazzling lights come from meteors, which are made up of small pieces of space dust and debris that fall at high speeds through our planet’s atmosphere. Because these little pieces of space are falling so fast they leave behind brilliant streaks of sparkling light that can be observed by the naked eye here on Earth.
What You Need to Know About the Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower
The Eta Aquarids meteor shower will be active from April 15th through May 27th. All meteor showers have a few weeks out of the year where they are visible, but there are always 1 or 2 nights where the shower peaks, meaning that you can see the most meteors per hour on those nights. The Eta Aquarids meteor shower will peak on May 4th and 5th.
Meteor showers have something called a radiant point and this is what helps us on Earth find the location of the meteors in our night sky. To understand the radiant we have to think of the stars and constellations as a map of the sky. So, when we say that the radiant point for the Eta Aquarids is the constellation of Aquarius, by the bright star Eta Aquarius, we don’t mean that the meteors are falling from that star, just that that is where to look in the sky in order to see them.
Some meteor showers can be seen in both the southern and northern hemispheres, but most favor one or the other simply due to where the radiant point is in the night sky. The Eta Aquarids will be visible in both hemispheres in the pre-dawn hours of the morning, but there will be more meteors per hour in the southern hemisphere, about 30 compared to northern hemisphere’s 10. In the northern hemisphere they will appear as “earthgrazers,” meaning that they sit low, almost as if they are skimming the horizon line.
Check when the sun rises in your part of the world, and then plan to head out to a location with as little light pollution as possible about 2-3 hours before dawn to see this show. We also suggest that you give your eyes some time (about half an hour) to get adjusted to the night, lay on your back with your feet facing east, and remember to bundle up because those pre-dawn hours can be chilly!
Halley’s Comet
Most meteors are debris formed from asteroids or comets, which have orbits around the sun just like the planets in our solar system. The Eta Aquarids meteor shower is special since it is one of two annual showers that come from arguably the most famous comet, Halley’s Comet!
Halley’s comet has been documented for millennia, being that it is visible here on Earth with the naked eye. In 1705 Edmund Halley was able to put together all the data from years and years of empirical research to finally “discover” Halley’s comet.
This comet gave birth to a deeper understanding of space in general! Understanding that comets orbit the sun, instead of passing through our solar system once and then leaving, brought on a new wave of information for astronomers and astrologers to work with. So it’s no surprise that one of its yearly meteor showers takes place over the Aquarius constellation since this air sign rules over the stars as well as scientific information.
With an orbit of only 76ish years, this is a comet that almost everyone will get a chance to see at least once in their life!
The Full Moon Lunar Eclipse
Since meteor showers can only be seen in the night sky, the phase that the moon will be in plays a significant role in whether or not we can see the bright streaks of light coming from the falling meteors. This year the Eta Aquarids will peak at the same time as the Scorpio full moon eclipse.
Anytime the full moon coincides with a meteor shower the prospects of seeing more than a few meteors per hour greatly diminishes, so this year’s Eta Aquarids are not going to be as visible as other years. However, the eclipses are a very potent and auspicious time.
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There are two eclipse seasons per year with one new moon solar eclipse and one full moon lunar eclipse. Eclipse season is a time for fated events where the universe takes full control. Depending on how each eclipse sits in your own natal chart, these eclipse portals can often shake things up in a very tangible way.
Where Will You Experience Great Change
The spirit of the Eta Aquarids meteor shower is one of intellectual revolution. When it coincides with an eclipse, the result is always one that promises unexpected changes and revolution around the world and in our own lives. Use the chart below and find your rising sign to see where you may experience this change in your own life!
Jasmine Wolfe is a professional astrologer, tarot reader, numerologist, and witch. Being a Capricorn sun and Scorpio moon, her readings tend to focus on the more challenging aspects of life and what we can learn about ourselves when we lean into the challenge. Having entered the professional scene in 2018, she's grown a loyal following of students and mentees through social media. You can find her on Instagram and TikTok @satinsaturn or through her website https://www.jasminewolfe.xyz/
