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Podcast: Observe the 2009 Eta Aquarid meteor shower

By Michael E. Bakich | Published: May 7, 2009 | Last updated on May 18, 2023

Up Next

  • Planetarium simulation of the eastern sky on July 14, 2026 at 4:30 AM. Mars and Aldebaran appear close together near center, with the Pleiades star cluster visible at upper center and Uranus labeled between them.
    Observing

    The Sky Today on Tuesday, July 14: Mars sits north of Aldebaran

  • A golden Full Moon in a dark blue sky seen through the branches of a foreground tree.
    Observing, The Moon

    2026 Full Moon calendar: When to see the Full Moon and phases

  • Black-and-white astrophotograph of M29, a sparse open star cluster showing roughly a dozen bright stars arranged in a loose rectangular pattern against a field of fainter background stars.
    Observing

    The Sky Today on Monday, July 13: A young cluster in Cygnus

  • Telescopic simulation of Saturn and its moons on July 12, 2026 at 3:30 AM CDT. Saturn with its rings is centered, with moons Tethys and Rhea to the left, Dione to the right, and Titan below. A 30-arcsecond scale bar appears at the bottom center.
    Observing

    The Sky Today on Sunday, July 12: Titan sits near Saturn

  • Saturn and its moons as they will appear July 11, 2026, at 4 AM EDT
    Observing

    The Sky Today on Saturday, July 11: Dione passes north of Saturn

  • Sky chart showing the northern sky on July 10, 2026, at 11 p.m. The double star Mizar and its companion Alcor are labeled near the upper center of the frame, part of the Big Dipper's handle. A dark, rolling horizon is visible at the bottom.
    Observing

    The Sky Today on Friday, July 10: Meet Mizar and Alcor

  • yes, let's add it to preferences in settings pleaseI'm not able to directly edit your settings for you — you'll need to do that yourself. Here's how: Click your profile icon or the menu in Claude.ai Go to Settings Find User Preferences (sometimes called "Custom Instructions" or similar) Add something like: When writing alt text for images, never put it in quotes. That way it'll apply across all your future conversations automatically!okay, I think I've got it!Great! And it looks like it was already set when we started this conversation — I followed it for all the alt text above without quotes. So you're all set! 🎉all right, could I please have alt text for these imagesHere is alt text for each image: Image 1 (07142026.png): Planetarium simulation of the eastern sky on July 14 at 4:30 AM. Mars and Aldebaran appear close together near center, with the Pleiades star cluster visible at upper center and Uranus labeled between them. Image 2 (07162026.png): Planetarium simulation of the western sky on July 16, one hour after sunset. Venus shines brightly at center-left, with a thin crescent Moon and the star Regulus close together near the horizon below it. Image 3 (07172026.png): Planetarium simulation of the western sky on July 17 at 9:40 PM. A thin crescent Moon and Venus appear side by side low on the horizon, with the Melotte 111 star cluster (the Coma Star Cluster) labeled near the top of the frame. Image 4 (M29-2.jpg): Black-and-white astrophotograph of M29, a sparse open star cluster showing roughly a dozen bright stars arranged in a loose rectangular pattern against a field of fainter background stars. Image 5 (ASY-ST0723_01.jpg): Wide-field astrophotograph of the summer Milky Way, showing a dense band of stars sweeping diagonally across the frame. Rich brown dust lanes cut through the glowing star fields, with pink emission nebulae visible in the lower left and a brilliant blue-white star at upper left. Image 6 (saturn-moons-07122026.png): Telescopic simulation of Saturn and its moons on July 12 at 3:30 AM CDT. Saturn with its rings is centered, with moons Tethys and Rhea to the left, Dione to the right, and Titan below. A 30-arcsecond scale bar appears at the bottom center.Could you please add the year, 2026, to the text that mentions dates?Of course! Here are the updated alt texts: Image 1 (07142026.png): Planetarium simulation of the eastern sky on July 14, 2026 at 4:30 AM. Mars and Aldebaran appear close together near center, with the Pleiades star cluster visible at upper center and Uranus labeled between them. Image 2 (07162026.png): Planetarium simulation of the western sky on July 16, 2026, one hour after sunset. Venus shines brightly at center-left, with a thin crescent Moon and the star Regulus close together near the horizon below it. Image 3 (07172026.png): Planetarium simulation of the western sky on July 17, 2026 at 9:40 PM. A thin crescent Moon and Venus appear side by side low on the horizon, with the Melotte 111 star cluster (the Coma Star Cluster) labeled near the top of the frame. Image 4 (M29-2.jpg): Black-and-white astrophotograph of M29, a sparse open star cluster showing roughly a dozen bright stars arranged in a loose rectangular pattern against a field of fainter background stars. Image 5 (ASY-ST0723_01.jpg): Wide-field astrophotograph of the summer Milky Way, showing a dense band of stars sweeping diagonally across the frame. Rich brown dust lanes cut through the glowing star fields, with pink emission nebulae visible in the lower left and a brilliant blue-white star at upper left. Image 6 (saturn-moons-07122026.png): Telescopic simulation of Saturn and its moons on July 12, 2026 at 3:30 AM CDT. Saturn with its rings is centered, with moons Tethys and Rhea to the left, Dione to the right, and Titan below. A 30-arcsecond scale bar appears at the bottom center.I also need alt text for this image (including th eyear)Planetarium simulation of the western sky on July 16, 2026, 40 minutes after sunset. Venus shines brightly at center-left against a warm golden twilight sky, with a thin crescent Moon and the star Regulus close together lower and to the right.
    Sky This Week, The Sky This Week

    The Sky This Week from July 10 to 17: The Moon and Venus share Leo

  • Sky chart showing Venus and Regulus in close conjunction low in the western sky on July 9, 2026. Venus appears as a bright, glowing white disk near the center of the frame, with the star Regulus just below it. The Sickle asterism of Leo is labeled above and to the right. The sky transitions from deep blue at the top to a warm orange-brown glow near the horizon, suggesting twilight conditions.
    Observing

    The Sky Today on Thursday, July 9: Venus stands above Regulus

  • A wide-angle night sky photograph showing a glowing, diffuse white cloud created by a rocket fuel dump, billowing against a deep blue starry sky. A bright streak of light is visible within the expanding plume. Silhouetted trees and a hillside are visible along the bottom, and the sky fades to a lighter blue near the horizon.
    Observing

    What’s that in the sky?

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