30 Meteors An Hour Possible As Eta Aquariids Peak Over VA Skies

In some years, Virginia residents see about 30 shooting stars, including some blazing fireballs, with the peak of the Eta Aquariids meteor shower.

2026 may not be one of those years because the moon will still be very full during the overnight peak Tuesday and Wednesday, May 5-6. The moon stays in the sky until nearly dawn, setting around 5 a.m. local time.

Still, the potential to see fireballs, whose glowing trains can last for several seconds to minutes, makes it worth searching the skies in the hours just before dawn if the weather cooperates.

According to the National Weather Service, Tuesday night should be partly cloudy in the greater D.C. area, while Wednesday could see more clouds and possible rain showers.

The Eta Aquariids — sometimes spelled Aquarids with a single “i” — are fast and bright, traveling through the sky at around 148,000 miles an hour, according to NASA. They were created by the famous Halley’s Comet around 390 B.C.

To view them, find the darkest sky you can with a clear, unobstructed view of the sky. Take along some sleeping bags or reclining lawn chairs and take in as much of the sky as possible. Be sure to give your eyes about 30 minutes to adjust to the dark.

The Eta Aquariids, created around 390 B.C. by the famous Halley’s Comet, are especially known for “outburst” years. That last occurred in 2024, when viewers in the Southern Hemisphere reported seeing about one shooting star per minute. Viewers elsewhere saw a better-than-usual show. The next outburst year is expected to be in 2046.

The Eta Aquariids appear to radiate from the constellation Aquarius the Water Bearer, the 10th largest in the sky but still difficult to find with the naked eye because none of its stars are especially bright. The brightest one, Sadalsuud, or Beta Aquarii, is a rare yellow supergiant with a mass almost five times that of the sun.

Don’t get hung up on trying to find the constellation, though. Meteors can come from any direction. Dress warmly, fill a Thermos with coffee or some other warm beverage, and take a reclining lawn chair and blankets to your dark sky location. Give your eyes at least 15 minutes to adjust to the darkness, then sit back and enjoy.

The Eta Aquariids are the last chance to look for meteors until the Delta Aquariid meteor shower in late July. It runs for more than a month and intersects with the summer favorite, the Perseids.

By the way, May has two full moons, with a blue moon on the 31st. The term is used to describe a month with two full moons, which happens every two or three years, and, more rarely, a seasonal blue moon, or the third of four full moons in a single season. That won’t happen again until Aug. 21, 2032.

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