Meteor Showers on the Big Island
If you have a big wish list you may want to take it outside during nighttime to watch a meteor shower while on Hawaii. Each meteor shower is a yearly event, and there are many meteor showers to see each year. If the night is dark during a meteor shower it is common to see up to 50 shooting stars in an hour!
Our "quick and dirty" meteor watching advice is to pack a reclining chair or blanket, a pillow and some picnic supplies. Go to a dark place without too much light pollution and look up. The Big Island with its low population density has many places that are perfect for this!
Even at sea-level you will be able to see many shooting stars, but the rule of thumb is "the higher (and darker), the better". The highest point of Hawaii is the summit of Mauna Kea, but this is not a practical meteor shower watching spot for many reasons. Waimea with its 2600 ft elevation and dark skies is a very good second!
If you are curious about the "why and how" of meteor showers, have a look at the lovebigisland meteor shower guide.
When can you see a meteor shower?
Meteor showers often build up during several weeks before they reach their peak. During the weeks before (and after) it is also possible to see shooting stars, but by far not as many as during the peak. The five best meteor showers to watch from Hawaii are the:
- Quadrantids (visible between December 28 till January 13, peak at January 4)
- Eta Aquarids (visible between April 19 and May 28, peak at May 6)
- Delta Aquarids (visible between July 12 and August 19, peak at July 28)
- Perseids (visible between July 17 and August 26, peak at August 12)
- Gemenids (visible between December 1 and December 19, peak at December 13)
That means that if you are on Hawaii the night of (or close to) one of the following dates, it is time to start making a wish-list: January 3rd, May 6th, July 29th, August 13th and December 14th are the best nights to watch shooting stars on the Big Island
Meteor Shower packlist
Here is the full list of things that you can pack that will greatly enhance the comfort of your meteor watching experience:
- Prepare a wish list. It is fun to do and believe it or not, you will run out of wishes quickly if the shower gets going!
- Bring warm clothes. Early mornings can be chilly even in Hawaii.
- For comfortable watching, also pack a blanket (or something else to lie on) or beach chair.
- Take some snacks and (hot) drinks to keep spirits high (have a look here for suggestions about typical Hawaiian picnic snacks).
- A pillow is nice to rest your head while watching the skies.
- Bring a flashlight, but turn it off when you are ready to start watching. Allow your eyes 5 to 10 minutes to adjust to to darkness.
- Print out a sky map to find the radiant of the meteor showers.
This information has been provided by the lovebigisland travel guide to Hawaii. Please note that Aaah the views takes no responsibility for the content, nor endorses any of the outfitters or vendors mentioned.