The Delta Aquariids — so named because they appear to come from the constellation Aquarius, near the bright star Delta Aquarii — is a moderate, annual meteor shower. The shower will be visible from July 12 to August 23 and will peak on July 30, when lucky viewers should be able to see a steady stream of 25 shooting stars per hour. They’re best viewed in the southern hemisphere, but viewers in Britain — and other mid-latitude locations — should still get a good show, weather permitting.
Meteors are bits of comets, asteroids or other space rocks that emit a streak of light as they burn up as they pass through Earth’s atmosphere.
The Delta Aquariids occur annually whenever Earth’s orbit takes it through the debris trail left by a comet. Exactly which comet is responsible, however, is a bit unclear.
For a long time, astronomers had assumed the squall came from the breakup of the Marsden and Force “sun-grazing” comets — so called because on their closest approach, they come within just 850,000 miles of the sun.
More recently, however, the finger has been pointed at the debris trail left in the wake of comet 96P/Machholz disintegrating.
This comet is named after astronomer Donald Machholz, who first saw it from the top of Loma Prieta, California, in May 1986.
Comet 96P/Machholz would have a nucleus about four miles in diameter.
This makes it about half the size of the asteroid whose impact on Earth led to the extinction of the dinosaurs about 66 million years ago.
According to NASA, the comet fragments that make up the Delta Aquariids travel at about 40 miles per second as they burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.
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The astronomers continued: “Lie on a blanket or sit in a lawn chair to make sure you have an expansive view of the sky.
“Your naked eyes are the best tool for seeing meteors – don’t use binoculars or a telescope, as these have a narrow field of view.
“Let your eyes adjust to the dark and don’t look at lights or at your phone to maintain your adaptation to the dark.”
“Once you locate Delta Aquarii in the sky, look away from the radiating point – if you look toward the radiating point, you will only see short meteors.
“Meteors will appear longer the further away from the radiant you are facing, so direct your gaze about 45 degrees from Delta Aquarii.”