Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower
Stars will appear to spill from Aquarius aka the “water jar” constellation on May 6. The Eta Aquarids, like October’s Orionids, are associated with Halley’s Comet.
According to NASA, the meteors will be traveling at about 148,000 mph about 41 miles or 66 km into Earth’s atmosphere.
The fast-moving Eta Aquarid meteors are predicted to reach their peak at 3 a.m. They are usually most visible to Southern Hemisphere observers. And observers usually see over 40 per hour. But the number of visible meteors varies strongly by latitude.
Observers in the tropics may see 20 meteors per hour under ideal conditions, while at more northerly latitudes the rates could be half that or less. Usually, these meteors move swiftly leaving a glowing train behind them.
Total Eclipse of the Moon
On May 16 at 12:14 a.m., the Full Flower Supermoon will pass completely into the Earth’s shadow. And this results in a total lunar eclipse. This phenomenon only happens about every two and a half years. The last one took place in May of 2021.
