Community Corner
Full Flower Moon, Possible Eta Aquariid Outburst Compete; Watch Anyway
The May full flower moon and a predicted Eta Aquariid meteor shower outburst star in the sky, but the hyped lunar eclipse misses the U.S.
ACROSS AMERICA — May’s full flower moon will be shining brightly over the next few days, but that doesn’t mean shooting star chasers should skip a chance to see the predicted Eta Aquariids meteor shower outburst.
One thing we won’t see over the United States is a full flower lunar eclipse — which happens when Earth passes between the sun and the moon and casts part of its shadow on the moon. It will be visible in Africa, Asia, Australia and large parts of Europe, but not in the United States.
NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke says the Eta Aquariids are so bright and fast that they’re a good match against the full flower moon, according to Space.com.
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The Eta Aquariids — sometimes spelled Aquarids with a single “i” — travel through the sky at around 148,000 miles an hour, and are known for producing fireballs with glowing trains that can last for several seconds to minutes, according to NASA.
But this year, Cooke told Space.com when asked about top picks for shooting star shows in 2023, the shower could produce about 50 meteors an hour, about three times more than usual, because of a predicted cyclical outburst.
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The moon reaches peak illumination at 1:36 a.m. Eastern Time Friday, but will be below the horizon then, so make sure to take another peek after sunset through the weekend.
May’s full moon is called the flower moon because this is the time of year when flowers pop out of the ground and start blooming. Among Native Americans, the full moons of each month were named to correspond with seasons and activities taking place at the time.
Other names for the May full moon include the budding moon, leaf budding moon, planting moon, egg laying moon, frog moon and moon of the shedding ponies, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.
Correction: This story has been corrected to reflect that the Eta Aquariids travel through the sky at around 148,000 miles an hour.
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