A semi-annual meteor shower peaks this weekend. Will we be able to see it in NC?
Clouds or rain may obscure the peak of the Eta Aquariid meteor shower this weekend, but determined sky-watchers still can get a good show from the spectacle through late May.
What is the Eta Aquariid meteor shower?
It’s the spring version of the Orionid meteor shower, which happens in fall.
While the Orionids emanate from near the constellation Orion and the Eta Aquariids emanate from near the constellation Aquarius, both originate from the same source: Halley’s Comet.
According to NASA, every time Halley’s Comet comes back through the inner solar system, its nucleus sends debris in the form of ice, rock and dust into space. As the Earth travels through the dust, which is stationary in space until the planet passes through it, the particles compress the air in front of themselves and create white-hot shock waves, says Dr. Amy Sayle, a science education specialist at UNC’s Morehead Planetarium and Science Center in Chapel Hill.
What we see from here is the shock wave, which looks like a white streak against the dark sky.
When is the best time to see it?
The Eta Aquariid meteor shower began April 19 and will be visible through May 28. Scientists say it will peak the nights of May 5 and 6, when 10 to 20 meteors will be visible per hour under good conditions.
Most of North Carolina is not expected to have optimal conditions for skywatching around the peak, with the National Weather Service calling for rain or mostly cloudy skies on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights.
However, skies should be mostly clear Thursday night and again beginning Tuesday night. Don’t expect 20 meteors per hour those nights, but if the peak of a meteor shower is the Broadway production, the nights around the peak are still a great off-Broadway show.
The best time to see the meteor shower is during the two hours before sunrise, but meteors will be visible usually from midnight until the sun comes up, astronomers say.
Where is the best place to see this meteor shower?
NASA says that if you can’t be in the Southern Hemisphere for the Eta Aquariids, the Southeastern U.S. is not a bad perspective.
If you’re willing to travel, national forests, state parks, wilderness areas and beaches can be excellent places for night sky viewing. In North Carolina, go-astronomy.com lists 14 dark-sky destinations where light pollution is far reduced compared to more developed places.
The closest to Raleigh may be Uwharrie National Forest, about 90 miles to the southwest, which has three campgrounds as well as primitive camping.
Tips for viewing a meteor shower
NASA offers these instructions:
▪ Find a safe, dark spot away from bright lights and give your eyes 20 minutes to adjust to the dark. Don’t peek at your phone, because the light from it means your eyes will have to adjust again..
▪ A reclining beach chair will work but lying flat on a blanket gives the broadest view of the sky.
▪ Lie down with your feet pointed more or less toward the east and look straight overhead.
▪ You don’t need to look for Aquarius; the meteors will streak across the whole sky.
