The Delta Aquariid meteor shower starts this week. There will be up to 20 shooting stars per hour in the night sky. This year’s meteor shower will offer ideal conditions for observers. The Delta Aquariid meteor shower is set to light up the Earth’s sky. This visual feast, which takes place regularly every year, will peak this year under ideal observing conditions. So when will it be observed?
When does the Delta Aquariid meteor shower start?
According to the American Meteor Society, the Delta Aquariids will be active between July 18 and August 21. It will peak on the night of July 29-30. However, this meteor shower has a wide peak period. Along with the Delta Aquariids, another meteor shower will be active.
The meteor shower will be formed by dust and debris left in the inner solar system by a series of comets called 96P/Machholz. At the peak of the meteor distribution, up to 20 meteors per hour are expected. The Perseid meteor shower, one of the most intense and popular meteor showers of the year, will also converge with the Delta Aquariids. This conjunction will be active between July 14 and September 1. It will peak in the early hours of August 12.
Both meteor showers are visible to the naked eye. Together with the approaching planets and comets, they will be a spectacular sight in the sky.