See 30 Shooting Stars An Hour As Eta Aquariids Peak Over RI Skies

RHODE ISLAND — Skywatchers in Rhode Island may catch a fireball while they’re outside for the Sunday through Tuesday morning peak of the Eta Aquariids meteor shower, an annual favorite because the fast-moving meteors can leave long, glowing trains in the sky.

The weather has to cooperate to see these beauties, though. The National Weather Service calls for mostly cloudy skies in Rhode Island during the May 4-6 peak.

The Eta Aquariids — sometimes spelled Aquarids with a single “i” — are usually a good show because they’re fast, traveling through the sky at around 148,000 miles an hour. Under clear, dark skies in the Northern Hemisphere, the Eta Aquariids produce about 30 shooting stars an hour, including some fireballs with glowing trains that NASA says can last for several seconds to minutes.

Like most meteor showers, the Eta Aquariids are best viewed in the pre-dawn hours. You’ll need to work around the moon, which will be more than half full during the peak and will set later each morning. Moonset times in Rhode Island are:

Sunday: 2:09 a.m.
Monday: 3 a.m.
Tuesday: 3:39 a.m.

Also, find the darkest sky you can with a clear, unobstructed view of the sky. Take along some sleeping bags or reclining lawn chairs and take in as much of the sky as possible. Be sure to give your eyes about 30 minutes to adjust to the dark.

• Related: 2025 Guide To Meteor Showers, Eclipses, Full Moons And Supermoons

After 2024’s “outburst,” which saw meteor rates of about one per minute reported in the Southern Hemisphere and a better-than-usual show elsewhere, 2025 should be a normal year for this meteor shower created by the famous Halley’s Comet around 390 B.C.

The Eta Aquariids appear to radiate from the constellation Aquarius the Water Bearer, the 10th largest in the sky but still difficult to find with the naked eye because none of its stars are especially bright. The brightest one, Sadalsuud, or Beta Aquarii, is a rare yellow supergiant with a mass almost five times that of the sun.

• Read more: What To Know About Renewed Daylight Saving Time Debate

Don’t get hung up on trying to find the constellation, though. Meteors can come from any direction. Dress warmly, fill a Thermos with coffee or some other warm beverage, and take a reclining lawn chair and blankets to your dark sky location. Give your eyes at least 15 minutes to adjust to the darkness, then sit back and enjoy.

The Eta Aquariids are the last chance to look for meteors until the Delta Aquariid meteor shower in late July. It runs for more than a month and intersects with the summer favorite, the Perseids.

• Read more: Aggressive Biter Behind Mysterious Tick-Borne Illness Gains Ground

Have a news tip? Email jimmy.bentley@patch.com.