Delta Aquarid Meteor Shower Peaks On July 29 2013

The Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower will be reaching its peak sometime in the early morning hours of July 29 2013 — the peak is a very gradual one for this mentor shower though, so the nights of July 27 – July 29 should all be of similar intensity. As always, the Delta Aquarids are a fairly good show averaging about 10-20 meteors n hour when seen from a dark location — the Moon will be in a relatively bright phase around the peak this year though, so you may see less. The shower will continue on well into August though — and overlap with the peak of the prolific Perseids meteor shower, around August 10-14.

Image Credit: Meteor Shower via Flickr CC
Image Credit: Meteor Shower via Flickr CC

The meteor shower will be visible throughout most of the temperate world, but those in the Southern Hemisphere and the tropical latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere will get the best shows. The meteors will appear to be originating from somewhere around the very bright star Delta, in the constellation of Aquarius the Water Bearer — hence the name, the Delta Aquarids.

The best time to watch for meteors will be sometime after midnight, especially in the very early morning hours. Since the Moon is going to be in a relatively bright phase of its cycle around the peak it might be worth it to go out before Moonrise even though there will be less meteors then — Moonrise on the night of July 28 will be right around midnight.

Another option — if the Moon is too bright from where you are watching — is to wait until early August when the Moon will be entering its darkest phase, the Perseids and the Delta Aquarids will both be visible then.

For more information on all of this years meteor showers see: Meteor Showers 2013 Dates And Times, Perseids, Geminids, Leonids, Orionids, Etc


Some things to keep in mind when watching meteor showers:

– Try to get comfortable — a good reclining chair, coffee, warm clothes, blankets, etc.

– Try to get far away from city lights — the farther the better.

– And probably most importantly — your eyes need time to adjust to the dark or you won’t see much. So that means turn off all of your bright electronic devices, or at least keep them dimmed as low as possible.

Enjoy the show. 🙂

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