Practise your meteor-watching skills this week in preparation for next month’s main event: the August Perseid meteor shower.
This week, it is the turn of the fainter Delta Aquariid meteors to reach its peak. Nominally expected on 30 July, the truth is that they are consistent for days surrounding the crescendo. This year is a good one to look because the Delta Aquariids tend to be faint, yet the new moon occurs on 28 July meaning that it will be long gone from the sky around midnight when the meteors become most visible.
Although faint, the Delta Aquariids leave persistent trails in the sky. The chart shows the view looking south-east from London at midnight as 29 July becomes 30 July. Expect to spend the hours from midnight until dawn outside. This will give your eyes time to fully adjust to the dark and reach their maximum sensitivity, as well as allowing the radiant to climb higher into the sky. Don’t look directly at the radiant but be aware of that whole patch of sky around it – this is where the meteors will appear. The shower is much better placed in the southern hemisphere as the radiant will be higher in the sky.
