Before the arrival of the highly anticipated Perseids, the summer’s quintessential meteor shower, we will see that of the Delta Aquarids, which will take place this week. Both celestial shows will be seen throughout the summer, but we will tell you when will be the best time to observe them and how to enjoy them.
The Delta Aquarids are the remnants of ice and dust from the comet 96p / Machholz 1, which when they come into contact with the Earth’s atmosphere ignite into small balls of fire and it seems that stars are falling.
And when is the Meteor Shower of July 2021? The month is almost ending, but we still have the great night of the Delta Aquarids. On the night of July 28 to 29 is when this meteor shower occurs, according to the Canary Islands Astrophysics Institute. Delta Aquarids appear in the sky for quite some time in summer. And it is that you can observe its shooting stars from July 12 to August 13, so it overlaps with other meteor showers, such as the Perseids. Although the most magical night is, as we said, that of July 28.
The Perseids, the meteor shower of August
The night that the Perseids are best seen, also known as Tears of Saint Lawrence, It is the one from August 12 to 13. Luckily, there will be hardly any Moon, so we don’t have to worry about its light spoiling the show for us. This shower of stars is one of the best to go out and look at the sky, since in its maximum splendor up to 60 meteors per hour can be seen. In this case, the Perseids are the result of the remains of the Swift-Tuttle kite, discovered in 1862, entering our atmosphere.
How to observe the two phenomena
The best way to observe the meteor showers, be they the Perseids or the Delta Aquarids, is by going to areas without light pollution, such as the mountains or rural areas. Shooting stars do not need a telescope or binoculars, because they can be seen with the naked eye. But if you are going to take the opportunity to look at the constellations, it may be a good idea to have one of these instruments to observe better.
Summer is the best time to get out and enjoy the sky. Meteor showers are one of the most beautiful phenomena to contemplate, let’s take advantage of this year without restrictions to go out and observe them.