Eta Aquariids ‘Outburst’ Predicted: How Many Fireballs Can WI Expect?

WISCONSIN — If you are itching to see some shooting stars fly over Wisconsin, the Eta Aquariids on Thursday and Friday might be your best shot as an "outburst" is predicted, according to NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke.

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, 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.

Whether you’ll be able to see the show during the peak hinges on the weather. Right now, the National Weather Service is calling for cloudy skies over southeast Wisconsin Thursday or Friday. The peak continues through Sunday morning, with continued cloudiness and precipitation expected.

The best time to look is before dawn. The Eta Aquariids started in mid-April and continue through May 27.

The prolific Perseids in August and Geminids in December are Cooke’s top picks, but the Eta Aquariids are easily No. 3 because of the predicted outburst. He said the bright meteors should be a good match against the full flower moon, which reaches peak illumination Thursday.

Related: 2023 Guide To Meteor Showers, Supermoons And Full Moons

The potential outburst, or meteor storm as these events are sometimes called, is caused by particles ejected by Comet Halley, the parent of the Eta Aquariids, around 390 B.C. Despite the full moon, “it should be a pretty decent show” because the Eta Aquariids rank about No. 6 in the number of bright meteors and fireballs.

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. It’s relatively young for a star at 110 million years, and is about 600 light-years away.

Related: Why This Is A Very Good Time To Chase Northern Lights

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.

If all of that isn’t reason enough to get up early, consider this: 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 summertime favorite, the Perseids.

Correction: This story has been corrected to reflect that the Eta Aquariids travel through the sky at around 148,000 miles an hour.