You may be able to see a few meteors from a famed comet this week over Illinois
Illinois stargazers can see a meteor shower peak Monday and Tuesday, as well as a full “flower” moon soon after.
The Eta Aquarid (also spelled Aquariid) meteor shower began April 19, peaks between May 5 and 6 and may still be visible until about Wednesday, May 28, USA Today reports. Your best chance at seeing them will be under the darkest skies you can find, according to the American Meteor Society.
Monday night will be mostly cloudy then will gradually become mostly clear in Belleville, according to the National Weather Service. The low will be about 47 degrees Fahrenheit.
The meteors from the Eta Aquarid shower originate from Comet Halley, according to NASA, and Earth passes through the stream each May and October. The shower is generally seen better from the Southern Hemisphere, but stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere can still see up to 10 to 20 meteors per hour in peak conditions.
If you don’t get a chance to see the Eta Aquarids, another meteor shower, the Alpha Capricornids, will peak in late July. While that shower doesn’t typically produce very many meteors per hour, the American Meteor Society reports it’s known for the number of bright fireballs it produces when it’s active.
The week after the Eta Aquarids peak, Illinois stargazers can see the “flower” moon. The full moon gets its name from the many types of flowers that bloom in May. The Old Farmer’s Almanac reports the name has been attributed to Algonquin people, and many full moon names come from Indigenous cultures. Full moons have multiple names, and the flower moon is also referred to as the budding moon and leaf budding moon.
Some local trees and flowers bloomed early this year, and several heavy rainfall events led April to break the record for the month’s greatest total precipitation in St. Louis, the NWS reports.
The flower moon will peak at 11:56 a.m. Central Daylight Time Monday, May 12, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. Since the sun will be out then, it might be a better idea to look after dark. The sun will set in Belleville at 8:02 p.m. that day, according to online clock Time and Date. Viewing conditions should be nice in Belleville, as AccuWeather forecasts clear skies and a low around 55 degrees that night.
Full moons in 2025
After the flower moon, stargazers will have seven more opportunities to see a full moon this year. Here’s when to look, from Astronomy.com:
Wednesday, June 11: Strawberry moon
Thursday, July 10: Buck moon
Saturday, Aug. 9: Sturgeon moon
Sunday, Sept. 7: Corn moon
Monday, Oct. 6: Hunter’s moon (supermoon)
Wednesday, Nov. 5: Beaver moon (supermoon)
Thursday, Dec. 4: Cold moon (supermoon)
The St. Louis Astronomical Society will host a free, public stargazing event at Gateway Arch from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, May 10. To check for potential day-of weather cancellations, you can call 314-655-1750, ext. 472.
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This story was originally published May 5, 2025 at 11:07 AM.
