Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower: Best Times To Sky Watch In N.J.

Much of New Jersey has been soaked by rain during this first week of May, but a different kind of shower is making a sky appearance during the overnight hours.

The Eta Aquarids meteor shower will produce the greatest number of meteors in the pre-dawn hours on Thursday, May 5 and Friday, May 6, according to earthsky.org.

Sunrise on May 5 is scheduled for 5:51 a.m., and 5:50 a.m. on May 6, according to timeanddate.com.

The astronomy site says to allow yourself at least an hour of viewing time to watch any meteor shower, which tend to come in “spurts that are interspersed by lulls.” The site also mentioned it may take up to 20 minutes for a sky-watcher’s eyes to adapt to the dark.

Find out more about the meteor shower here.

Of course seeing the sky is dependent on Mother Nature. According to the National Weather Service, there’s a chance of showers across New Jersey both nights, with clouds as well.

See your local forecast here.