Last year at this time, I was on Cruise Ship Azamara Onward in the Indian Ocean in the Southern Hemisphere.
We were gearing up to watch the Eta Aquariids meteor shower, which is spawned by the famous Halley’s comet. We watched two nights and saw some beauties.
Once again, the 2025 predicted peak of the highest meteor activity is on the mornings of May 5 and 6. Unfortunately, weather prospects are iffy so you will have to check WTOP Weather.
The shower is best seen looking towards the East from 2 a.m. local time until dawn. For Northern viewers, the radiant, which is the point in the sky where the meteors appear to originate from, is low in the sky.
In the Southern Hemisphere, it is much higher in the East and may produce more than 60 meteors an hour.
In the D.C. region, it will be worth taking a peak on these dates and times to see if there is a break in any clouds as the shower can typically produce a fair number — around 10-20 per hour — in a dark sky site. The bright moon will interfere with observing the shower.
Be comfortable and take in as much of the Eastern sky as you can from your location.
Here are some tips from NASA on photographing meteor showers and using smartphones.
I’ll share any good Eta pics if I get them.
Good luck and clear skies.
The month of May has more wonderful sky sights so check them out here.
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