Eta Aquariids in Cairo

The Eta Aquariids meteor shower peaks from Cairo around May 5-6, with up to 40 meteors per hour under ideal conditions. In 2026 a new moon means dark skies, and from Cairo the radiant in Aquarius climbs to 26° above the east horizon around 04:35. Local best viewing window: 03:45–04:35 EEST on the peak night, about 0.8 hours of astronomical darkness. Scaled to that altitude, the 40/hour headline figure works out to roughly 18 meteors an hour from Cairo under a genuinely dark sky. The radiant stays low from Cairo, so expect fewer meteors but longer, shallower trails near the horizon. Tonight: some cloud about, but gaps should be frequent.