Eta Aquariid Meteor Shower Peak: How To See It Near Westford

WESTFORD, MA — The Eta Aquariid meteor shower that’s firing off shooting stars right now isn’t the best shower of the year, but there won’t be another one until July. So, if the weather cooperates in Westford, several nights of stargazing await in the coming days.

The Eta Aquariids — sometimes spelled “Aquarids” — peak overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, reliably producing about 10 or 20 meteors an hour. The long-running meteor shower, which will last through May 28, favors the Southern Hemisphere, so those living along the U.S.-Canadian border may see only a smattering of shooting stars.

During the peak dates, the National Weather Service forecasts cloudy skies and rain and fog over the Greater Lowell region. Your best bet will likely be Thursday or Friday morning this week.

The American Meteor Society says the Eta Aquariid meteor shower produces a high percentage of persistent trains from the swift shooting stars, but few fireballs.

• Related: 2021 Guide To Meteor Showers And Supermoons

As with most meteor showers, the best Eta Aquariids viewing time is around dawn on the peak date (ie Wednesday). Especially given how rainy and cloudy it's supposed to be that day, don’t rule out Thursday and Friday mornings. EarthSky.org said the shower “has a broad maximum, so you might see a lot of meteors on those mornings, too.”

The constellation Aquarius the Water Bearer is the radiant point for the shower, but you’ll be able to see meteors in any part of the sky. It’s always best to get as far away from city lights as possible to watch meteor showers.

The waning crescent moon, which rises around dawn, shouldn’t be too big of a problem. It will throw some light Tuesday morning, but won’t shine so brightly during the Wednesday morning peak or on Thursday morning.

In fact, think of it as part of a trifecta of beauty with, if you’re lucky, some shooting stars thrown in. The moon will join Jupiter and Saturn in the southeast sky Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.

Also in May, the full corn planting moon on the 26th is a supermoon, the second of three consecutive full moons as our planet’s natural satellite reaches the closest point to Earth (perigee) in its elliptical orbit. The closeness to Earth — keep in mind, our planet and moon are still 226,000 apart at this point — makes the moon appear a bit brighter and larger than usual.

The next meteor shower isn’t until July. The Delta Aquariids — another long-running shooting star show that runs for more than a month and intersects with the summertime favorite, the Perseids — peaks July 27-30. This shower also favors the Southern Hemisphere, but skywatchers in the tropical latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere can count on 15 or 20 meteors an hour during the predawn hours of the peak dates.