Eta Aquarid meteor shower: Cloudy conditions to hinder viewing across eastern Europe
The month of May kicks off with shooting stars and it follows up with an unusual Blue Moon. Mark these celestial events on your calendar and remember to always look up in the night sky
Cloudy conditions can shroud the sky over a large portion of Europe as the Eta Aqaurid meteor shower peaks on Saturday night.
A wet and cool pattern across Europe will force some stargazers to stay indoors due to rain, while others will need extra layers to stay warm while viewing the night sky.
"The annual Eta Aquarid meteor shower will reach its peak on the night of Saturday, May 4, into the early morning hours of Sunday, May 5," said AccuWeather Meteorologist and staff writer Brian Lada.
Meteors are expected to be most numerous in the hours ahead of dawn, producing rates of 10-30 per hour north of the equator, according to the International Meteor Organization.
"A broad swath of clouds will lead to poor viewing conditions across much of eastern Europe into northern Italy," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys.
This includes cities such as Budapest, Hungary; Warsaw, Poland; Prague, Czech Republic; Bucharest, Romania; Milan, Italy; and Munich, Germany.
Rain will dissuade eager skywatchers from heading outdoors from portions of Italy to Greece and northward into southeastern Poland, western Ukraine and Belarus.
A fresh snowfall will bury the Alps.
Clouds can also obscure the show from the northern United Kingdom into Norway, according to Roys.
The best time to view the meteors around London may be early Saturday night before patchy clouds roll in later.
Clouds can also increase as the night progress around Paris.
"Fair conditions with patchy clouds will be found across northern Germany, southern Italy, southern coastal Spain and northwestern Spain," Roys said.
Lisbon, Portugal, and Madrid, Spain, are two cities that will be amid some of the best viewing conditions with a mainly clear sky.
Traveling to the outskirts of either of these cities to escape light pollution will offer an even better view of the meteors.
Warm clothing will be needed by anyone who heads outside across northern and central Europe as temperatures dip to around the freezing mark.
The most comfortable conditions will be found from southern Portugal to Greece and Ukraine, where only a light jacket may need to be worn.
Download the free AccuWeather app to see the exact forecast for your location.
"This year will be a particularly good year for the Eta Aquarids as the peak of the shower coincides with the new moon, meaning that dimmer meteors will be easier to see due to the lack of moonlight," Lada said.
"To see the greatest number of meteors, it is best to lay down in a lawn chair or on the ground and to take in as much of the night sky as possible," he added. "It is also important to be patient and let your eyes adjust to the dark. This means avoiding looking at any source of light for over 20 minutes, such as a cellphone or street light."
Those who miss out on this weekend's event will have to wait until the middle of summer for the next spectacle.
"The end of July will feature not one, but two meteor showers that fall on the same night," Lada said. "The celestial double header will take place on the night of July 29 into July 30 with the peak of the southern delta Aquarids and alpha Capricornids."
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