Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower Peaks: When To View On Long Island

Get up early — or stay up late, depending on how you look at it — the next few mornings to catch a glimpse of the Eta Aquarids meteor shower, which peaks during the dark sky hours before dawn Sunday, May 5. Whether you’ll be able to see it on Long Island depends on the weather forecast, of course. And it doesn’t look good, at least for the next couple of day.

The National Weather Service says Long Island can expect:

• Friday Afternoon: A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 57. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
• Friday Night: A chance of showers before 9pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 9pm and 2am, then a chance of showers after 2am. Cloudy, with a low around 54. Southeast wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
• Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 67. North wind 3 to 5 mph.
• Saturday Night: Rain, mainly after 2am. Low around 53. East wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
• Sunday: Rain. High near 58. Northeast wind 11 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
• Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50.

The forecast starting Monday will be better for viewing the meteor showers, that is until rain moves in again mid-week.

The Eta Aquarids, which run through May 28 and can produce 20 to 40 meteors an hour at the peak, are produced by dust particles left behind by the famous Halley’s Comet. The Eta Aquarids is one of two meteor showers produced by the comet. The other is the Orionids meteor shower in October.

For the best chances to see an Eta Aquarids meteor, start watching around 3 a.m local time when the constellation Aquarius begins to emerge from beyond the east-southeast horizon, according to Space.com. The shooting stars radiate from Aquarius, but can be seen from anywhere in the sky. The thin crescent moon sets in the early morning, making for ideal viewing conditions.

The Eta Aquarids are fast and the brightest can produce persistent trails. Now that ground temperatures are warming, consider laying a thick blanket on the ground and simply look up. The farther south you live, the better the chances are of seeing Eta Aquarids meteors, according to Earthsky.org.

There’s an outside chance you may see an Earth-grazer — a meteor that skims along the Earth’s horizon. They’re rare, but are a great return on your investment of time spent outside looking up at the sky.

The Eta Aquarids are the last meteor shower of the spring, but get ready for a wealth of summer meteor showers. Summer showers include the Southern Delta Aquarids, which peak July 29-30; the Alpha Capricornids, which peak July 26-27; and the king of meteor showers, the Perseids, which peak Aug. 12-13.