Iowa
When to see the Aquarids meteor shower, debris from Halley’s comet from Iowa
Top astronomy events for May 2025
This May brings us a meteor shower visible around the world and a planetary alignment with our moon.
Skywatchers in Iowa have one last opportunity in the coming days to catch a meteor shower, as the next one won’t peak until late July.
The ETA Aquarids, a meteor shower that originated from the debris left by Halley’s comet, becomes most active each May during the first couple of weeks of the month. The Aquarids – sometimes spelled as “Aquariids” – are famous for being fast and leaving spectacular glowing trails in their wake.
The ETA Aquarids, a meteor shower formed from debris left behind by Halley’s comet, reach their peak activity each year during the first few weeks of May. The Aquarids — sometimes spelled “Aquariids” — are known for their incredible speed and glowing trails.
When does the ETA Aquarids meteor shower peak?
The Aquarids, which first became active on April 19, are due to peak between May 5 and May 6 and last until May 28, according to the American Meteor Society.
The Aquarids follow the Lyrid meteor shower in April and the Quadrantids in January.
What time can I see the Aquarids meteors?
The Aquarids are best viewed during the dark hours between midnight and dawn, according to the American Meteor Society.
The website Time and Date also provides detailed information about where and when to see the phenomenon. For Des Moines, peak viewing is usually between 3 and 6 a.m.
Where can you see Aquarids meteor shower?
The Aquarids should pretty much be visible around the globe, anywhere in the sky – assuming clouds and a bright moon don’t obscure the view.
However, the meteors are best seen from the Southern Hemisphere. That’s because the meteors seem to emerge – or radiate – from the constellation Aquarius, which is higher up in the sky in the Southern Hemisphere than it is in the Northern Hemisphere.
In the Northern Hemisphere, ETA Aquarid meteors appear as what NASA refers to as “Earthgrazers” – or long meteors that appear to skim the surface of the Earth at the horizon.
Heading to a rural area or anywhere that is as dark as possible to decrease the chances of light pollution will also help to unveil the best sights.
What is the weather forecast for Aquarids meteor shower in Iowa?
May 5 will be Iowans’ best chance of seeing the Aquarids meteor shower.
The night of Monday, May 5, will be mostly clear with a low around 48 degrees in Des Moines. Most of Iowa is forecast to have between 10% and 25% cloud cover overnight. Parts of northeast Iowa could have as much as 41% cloud cover.
Tuesday night will see increased cloud coverage with a low near 52 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
Cloud cover is expected to be between 37% and 75% across Iowa between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Des Moines is forecast at 60% cloud cover. Clouds will be thickest in southwest Iowa and the least cloud cover will be in northeast Iowa.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
DES Moines, Iowa — Gov. Kim Reynolds has ordered all flags in Iowa to be lowered to half-staff Saturday in honor of state Sen. Julian Garrett, who died June 8 at the age of 85.
Flags will be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset June 20, the day of Garrett’s funeral, on the Iowa Capitol Building and across the Capitol Complex. The order also applies to all public buildings, grounds and facilities throughout the state.
Garrett served 16 years in the Iowa Legislature, first representing House District 55 from 2011 to 2013 before serving in the Iowa Senate through the 2026 legislative session.
In addition to his legislative service, Garrett was a farmer, attorney and former employee of the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.
“Sen. Garrett was a friend who served our state with integrity — whether as a cattle producer, a Little League coach, an attorney in the executive branch, or a legislator,” Reynolds said in a statement. “For 15 years, we worked together to unleash opportunities for the Iowans we served, and his impact will be felt for generations to come.”
Reynolds is encouraging individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities, counties and other government entities to lower their flags to half-staff during the same time period as a sign of respect.
Garrett represented southwest Iowa in the Legislature and was known for his work on judiciary and agriculture-related issues during his tenure at the Statehouse.
An Iowa man was injured Thursday afternoon after three vehicles traveling northbound on Interstate 35 collided near Albert Lea.
Thomas Gene Anderson, 34, of Winnebago, Iowa, was taken by Mayo Ambulance to Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea for non-life threatening injuries, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.
Anderson was listed as the driver of a 2019 Chevrolet Blazer.
The report states the Blazer and a 2020 Nissan Rogue, driven by Brenda Sue Bangs, 52, of Glenville, and a 2021 Chevrolet Blazer, driven by Lisa Ann Bettin, 64, of Altoona, Iowa, were all northbound on I-35 near milepost 10 when the vehicles collided at 3:49 p.m.
As we work through the month of June, things are starting to heat up on the diamond around Iowa high school baseball.
With the start of postseason play just around the corner in July, teams are working to get prepared for the stretch run.
High School On SI Iowa has a Top 25 state power ranking while the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association releases weekly class-by-class rankings.
Here are leaders as of June 17, 2026 for several major hitting and pitching categories. Stats are from those uploaded to the Bound website.
Iowa High School Baseball Leaders
Home Runs
- Tru McBride, Fort Dodge, 9
- Colton Roemmich, West Des Moines Valley, 9
- Brandon Bea, Davenport North, 8
- Kamden Jorgensen, Saydel, 8
- Gabe Blanshan, Urbandale, 7
Running Batted In
- Callan Koch, Sioux City East, 38
- West Cole, Mason City Newman Catholic, 37
- Tru McBride, Fort Dodge, 36
- Chance Georgius, Roland-Story, 34
- Ty Heydon, Coon Rapids-Bayard, 34
Stolen Bases
- Aiden Ferry, Roland-Story, 38
- Tate Garman, Algona, 33
- Titan Foster, Nodaway Valley, 32
- Tate Moulton, Grand View Christian, 30
- Cael Wishman, Baxter, 29
Runs Scored
- Cal Jepsen, Sioux City East, 45
- Aiden Frey, Roland-Story, 43
- Cal Heydon, Coon Rapids-Bayard, 41
- Kolton Schiltz, Fort Dodge, 40
- Colton Wight, Martensdale-St. Marys, 39
Hits
- Colton Wight, Martensdale-St. Marys, 39
- Cal Jepsen, Sioux City East, 38
- Callan Koch, Sioux City East, 36
- Ty Heydon, Coon Rapids-Bayard, 35
- Lucas Kelley, Des Moines Roosevelt, 34
Doubles
- Joe Nilles, Sioux City North, 13
- Colton Wight, Martensdale-St. Marys, 13
- Lucas Kelley, Des Moines Roosevelt, 12
- Brett Harris, Western Dubuque, 12
- Brooks Bond, Lewis Central, 11
Triples
- Callan Koch, Sioux City East, 7
- Will Nesler, Ankeny Centennial, 5
- Jacob Pierro, Dubuque Wahlert Catholic, 5
- Lucas Kelley, Des Moines Roosevelt, 5
- Cal Jepsen, Sioux City East, 4
Total Bases
- Colton Wight, Martensdale-St. Marys, 68
- Tru McBride, Fort Dodge, 68
- Bryce Pauly, Davenport North, 67
- Cal Jepsen, Sioux City East, 65
- Ty Heydon, Coon Rapids-Bayard, 62
Pitching Wins
- Tyler Etten, Urbandale, 9
- Chase White, Dyersville Beckman Catholic, 7
- Colton Moffit, Baxter, 7
- Connor Mullenbach, Saint Ansgar, 6
- Aidan Nielsen, Don Bosco, 6
Earned Run Average (min. 18 innings pitched)
- Connor Mullenbach, Saint Ansgar, 0.00
- Luke Vestal, Pleasantville, 0.00
- Ryan Stedman, West Des Moines Valley, 0.24
- Will Litton, Iowa City Regina Catholic, 0.25
- Judd Jirovsky, Grundy Center, 0.26
Strikeouts
- Colton Moffit, Baxter, 85
- Brody Wangsness, North Butler, 75
- Lincoln Roethler, Denver, 71
- Owen Klocksiem, Louisa-Muscatine, 67
- Cooper Chizek, Emmetsburg, 65
Opponents Batting Average Against (min. 18 innings pitched)
- Macklin Loftus, Logan-Magnolia, .017
- Jack Wedemeier, Waverly-Shell Rock, .065
- Teagan Brunk, Shenandoah, .069
- Ryan Stedman, West Des Moines Valley, .072
- Bronx Siebersma, MVAOCOU, .075
Saves
- Beckham Simon, West Liberty, 4
- Deacon Kucera, Cedar Rapids Kennedy, 4
- Graham Rima, Pleasant Valley, 4
- Gavin de Jesus, Waukee, 4
- Easton Goodwin, Waterloo Columbus Catholic, 3
Innings Pitched
- Colton Moffit, Baxter, 43
- Tyler Etten, Urbandale, 38.2
- Owen Galvin, Denison-Schleswig, 38
- Tallon Crandall, Carroll, 37.1
- Austin Remster, Melcher-Dallas, 37.1
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