The annual Delta Aquariids meteor shower is upon us, and matches a dim moonlight that will enhance the visual experience of this light show in the skies.
The meteor shower is active from approximately July 12 to August 23 of each year, and peaks this week. So this week is the perfect time to marvel at the Delta Aquariids shower.
Delta Aquariids will peak on the night of Tuesday, July 28 until the early hours of Wednesday, July 29.
Meteor showers are the broken fragments that fall from comets and asteroids. As these rocky bodies of frozen gas, dust, and material likely to date back to the formation of the Solar System travel closer to the Sun, the star’s powerful gravitational pull can weaken and break them as they get closer.
Dust from comets forms in a path around their orbits. Our planet Earth passes through these trails each year during its orbit around the Sun, and some of the dust interacts with Earth’s atmosphere and disintegrates to form the fiery streaks we observe in the sky, known as meteor showers.
Delta Aquariids appears as multiple shooting stars, about 20 per hour moving at a rate of 25 miles per second, according to NASA. Astronomers believe that the Delta Aquariid meteor shower is generated from a short-lived comet known as 96P / Machholz, which orbits the Sun every five years.
The meteor shower originates from the constellation Aquarius, which is close to the star Skat, the third brightest star in the constellation.
Delta Aquariids is best seen in the southern hemisphere and southern latitudes of the northern hemisphere. If you look somewhere between the horizon and the zenith, and at 45 degrees from the constellation Aquarius, you will be amazed by the rains of Delta Aquariids.
If you live in a crowded city like New York, it is best to go as high as possible to minimize light pollution, therefore it is highly recommended to go to a balcony or rooftop.
You also want to block any light from electronic device displays or flashlights and allow your eyes to adjust to the dark for about 30 minutes before looking up.
It’s best to marvel at the sky just after midnight until an hour or two before sunrise to ensure the sky is as dark as possible.
This week she also has a first quarter moon where the moon is 90 degrees from the sun and therefore only half of her face appears illuminated in the night skies which makes the viewing conditions perfect for this slightly faint meteor shower.
