Like most meteor showers, the Delta Aquarids are caused by Earth slamming into clouds of sand-grain-sized particles shed by an orbiting comet. The meteor shower should be visible to all, but it will favor viewers in the Southern Hemisphere and the southern latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.
Advertisement
Experts said that the full moon later this week can be a hurdle in viewing the breathtaking event in the sky, as the bright light from Earth’s satellite will make viewing the Delta Aquarids hard during the evening.
A double treat for stargazers, this Friday will be the first blue moon since August 2012 and will take place during the on-going Delta Aquarid meteor shower.
Among the dozens of meteor showers that occur each year, four stand out from the rest by producing around 100 or more meteors per hour. The show is not known for its abundance of fireballs – fast-moving meteors – but it can be a fun primer for the Perseids.
“Slooh astronomer Bob Berman and I will be exploring what meteors are, how to see them and what we can learn from this attractive celestial show”. The night of July 30 into the pre-dawn hours on July 31 will be a great time to watch for shooting stars, and the Aquarids are something of a pre-game show to the iconic and much bigger Perseid meteor shower that will arrive in mid-August. However, the comet was discovered in 1986, while the meteor shower has been spotted since the 1870s. “It is best to center your field of view so that the radiant lies at the edge and not the center”.
Advertisement
The best time to view the Delta Aquariids, currently, is in the early morning hours, after the Moon has set and before the Sun comes up.
