(WKBN) – The weather pattern is getting better just in time to see the peak of a meteor shower. Clouds will start breaking up, allowing you to catch the peak of the Eta Aquariid meteor shower this weekend. The meteor shower starts around April 15 and goes through May 27 each year.
The Eta Aquariid peak for 2023 is during May 5 -7.
How many meteors will we see?
We will see a few meteors in the Northern Hemisphere with this shower. We won’t see as many as those who live south of the equator as this is a better shower for the Southern Hemisphere. This is not the best meteor shower of the year for our part of the country.
Under a dark sky, it is possible to see 10 to 20 meteors per hour in the southern United States. We will see less in the northern part of the country across Ohio and Pennsylvania.
The full flower moon will limit our viewing
The other item that will limit our viewing will be the full flower moon. It will be close to being full, throwing a lot of light into the sky. This will reduce our chances of catching a shooting star from this shower. There is a chance to see a few.
When is the full moon?
The full moon will take place on May 5, 2023. The full moon during May is known as the Full Flower Moon.
When is the best time to catch the meteor shower?
The best time to see one would be in the hours before sunrise on May 5-7. That is the peak time for the Eta Aquariid shower.
What causes the meteor shower?
This shower is the result of the earth passing through the debris trail of Halley’s Comet. These flying space pieces of debris pass through the earth’s atmosphere and become meteors. I talked about these in a previous episode of Weather For Kids.
Halley’s Comet only passes through every 75 to 76 years. The last time was in 1986 when we could see it with our eyes from the Earth. It won’t be around again until 2061!
