July’s meteor shower gets its name because the radiant point – the area from which the meteors appear to be coming – is near Delta Aquaii, a bright star in the constellation Aquarius.
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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.
Time reported that the best time to witness the meteor shower is between moonset and sunrise early Wednesday morning.
“We have tapped kegs for the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter, new moons, Venus’ greatest eastern elongation, full moons and Saturn reaching its opposition”, noted Morris.
You’ve probably heard the phrase “once in a blue moon”. So, you won’t be able to see this again until January 2018. Like all full moonrises, it should offer some pretty photo opportunities for sky-hounds. The next two weeks promise to deliver just that, as a meteor shower duet comes together in our night skies. Due to the presence of a waxing gibbous – an nearly full moon – it may be hard to spot meteors. Clear skies are a must for viewing, and getting as far away from sources of light pollution will reveal more meteors.
The Perseid meteors showers came from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which is known to be the largest object to make repeated passes near Earth.
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No need for any telescopes or binoculars-your eyes are all that’s needed to catch the shooting stars race across the overhead skies. It moves at the speed of 50 to 60 miles per hour. Those who observe the Perseids are likely to see some Delta Aquarid meteors flying on the same nights. However, some experts have pointed to 96P/Machholz, a comet discovered by an amateur astronomer in 1986.
