Peak Delta Aquariid Meteor Shower: July 28-29

Get your lawn chairs and telescopes out because the annual Delta Aquariid meteor shower is about to peak!

The Delta Aquariids will peak July 28th and last until August 21st. It’s best to view these showers during moon-free nights and with minimal light pollution. You can watch the Delta Aquariids from the mid-evening til dawn any night. There can be up to 20 meteors per hour under dark skies when the radiant is high in the sky at 2 a.m. Around 5-10% of the meteors are said to leave ionized glowing gas trails 1-2 seconds after they pass. 

The showers are related to a parent comet called 96P/Machholz discovered on May 12, 1986 which rotates around the sun every 5.3 years. A recent study suggests the material we see as the Delta Aquariids left the comet around 20,000 years ago. 

While the shower is best seen in the Southern Hemisphere, folks in the north will also be able see an overlapping meteor shower called the Perseids. To tell the two showers apart, the Perseids will be coming from the North or Northeast sky while the Delta Aquariids will come from the south near the Aquarius constellation. 

---------
Image Courtesy of Pixabay.com