The Best Way To Watch A Meteor Shower

It’s your chance to experience the magic of “wishing on a star” this week with the Eta Aquarids meteor shower. This show will peak overnight Tuesday into Wednesday morning, May 5-6, but they’ll be active until May 28, and you won’t want to miss it.

But what’s the best way to watch a meteor shower? Here’s our guide to maximizing your exposure to magic during your night under the stars — whether it’s for this display or a future one.

Andrew McCarthy, an astrophotographer who captures space from his backyard in Arizona, gives his tips.

Check For Optimal Viewing Conditions

There are a few uncontrollable factors that make viewing meteor showers better or worse.

The phase of the moon and also at what time it rises are big factors. A bright moon can produce as much light pollution as a city, McCarthy says. So, a new moon or a night when the moon sets before the meteor shower's peak is best.

What can be controllable is where you watch the show from. You’ll want to make sure you’re somewhere where skies are dark, away from the glow of a city and streetlights, typically at least an hour outside of a town, McCarthy says. You should find a spot with a wide, open view of the sky — avoid areas with heavy tree cover or tall buildings.

But before you make that drive, there’s one more important thing to remember to check: the weather.

“I hate when people say like, ‘I drove out to this dark sky, and I had this trip planned,’ but they didn't check the weather — and it's just clouds,” McCarthy said. “So, more than going to dark skies, going to clear skies is very important.”

Darkness Is The Most Important Factor

Three layers of light can ruin your ability to see meteors at all. As we’ve already addressed, two of those are artificial city light and natural light from the moon.

But the third is light produced on your own: Using digital screens and flashlights are two common mistakes.

(MORE: Looking Up? Light Pollution Can Ruin Your Viewing Night)

Just having darkness isn’t enough; you also need to prepare for it and let your eyes adjust beforehand, at least 20 minutes.

McCarthy prefers a full 45 minutes, and says he’ll lie with his eyes closed and a sleeping eye mask on before he goes for sky watch.

“And then the stars are so bright, I can see the shadows from them, which is crazy,” he said.

But once you’ve invested this time for your eyes to adjust, you don’t want to ruin it. Even a one-second glance at your phone screen "undos" nearly an hour of night vision preparation, he says. Resist the temptation to reach for it to snap a pic of the sky.

Know What You’re Looking For

Meteors are pretty easy to spot, once you know what you’re looking for. Here’s a quick cheat sheet to what you might see in the sky:

• Blinking and Moving: Plane
• Steady and Moving: Satellite
• Still: Star or Planet
• Zipping Fast: Meteor

Come Prepared

While the “no phones” rule is crucial, there are some really cool apps that provide you with great information on what you can find in the sky. McCarthy’s favorite is “SkySafari.”

You can memorize or take notes from a stargazing app before heading out, since many of them allow you to set the time and location of your viewing session.

Some apps have a "dark sky mode," but use this only if necessary. And remember that when you first wake your phone screen, it won’t necessarily open directly to the app, and that brief flash of light could be a crucial mistake.

Make The Most Of It And Look For More Than Meteors

McCarthy says there’s much more you can take the time to see while you’re already there.

While meteors can be best seen with the naked eye, he recommends bringing binoculars to look at nebulae, star clusters and the Milky Way while waiting for meteors to pass by.

He says with binoculars, you get what you pay for, but anything in the $30-$50 range is good to start with.

“Any binoculars are better than no binoculars. So finding something that fits your budget is perfectly fine,” he says.

You’ll actually want a pair with low magnification but high aperture. Since they can make the "window" of the sky smaller as they zoom in, and you’ll want a wider view to catch meteors more easily, a magnification of 2x50 or 7x50 is his suggestion.

Lean Into The Opportunity For 'Perspective'

While you could bring other stimuli to entertain you, like music, McCarthy says this rare chance for silence can be incredibly profound.

He views it as almost a meditative practice that offers perspective on daily life, recommending that people lean into the "boredom" rather than filling it with digital distractions.

"It’s a great reminder of our place in the universe. And I think perspective just helps anybody, no matter who you are,” he said. "I love the silence personally, because my deepest thoughts happen when I'm stargazing."

It’s easy to crave the “endorphin kick” our brains can become addicted to with the constant stimulation of scrolling. This is a chance to take a much-needed break.

Stargazing can be a communal act. If you’re viewing with a friend, some of the “coolest conversations” and stories can arise at a time like this, he says. It’s a chance for human connection, through shared wonder.

“A meteor shower is one of the rare times we can see Earth interacting with the universe in real time,” he said.

This Meteor Shower: Eta Aquarids

For this particular display, the Eta Aquarids are known for their speed and “sparkly” glowing trails, which are incandescent bits of debris that originate from Halley’s comet. About 50 meteors can be seen per hour during the peak of the Eta Aquarids as they fly through the constellation of Aquarius.

McCarthy notes that this particular shower is poorly timed with the lunar cycle. The waning gibbous moon will create significant light pollution, making smaller meteors hard to see. However, he highlights that bolides (larger, exploding meteors) will still be visible and spectacular.

“The good news is the best meteors should still be visible even with the light pollution from the moon,” he says.

And as for the idea of “wishing on a shooting star,” the terminology isn’t technically correct.

"No, these are not stars in any sense of the word. One, they're a lot smaller and probably a lot less world-ending when they collide with Earth's atmosphere,” McCarthy says. “But the phrase was coined when we didn't really know what we were looking at — so it just kind of stuck around. I personally like it.”

weather.com content writer Ada Wood enjoys exploring the stories that science and climate teach us about our natural world and how it influences the way we live in it.