Delta Aquarids, Perseids Meteor Showers Return: Peak Viewing Dates

By Beth Dalbey (Patch Staff)

So far, 2016 hasn’t been a great year for meteor showers, but that could change with the Delta Aquarids this month and, especially, with the Perseids meteor shower in August.

The Quadrantid meteor shower peak in January was short-lived, and the Eta Aquarids got a decent showing, but the Lyrids — the meteors that often leave trails and can come in hard-to-predict surges that offer 100 meteors an hour — were a bust under competition from the drenching light of the Moon.

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The Delta Aquarids, which offer up to 20 meteors per hour, officially begin on Tuesday, July 12, and peak toward the end of the month, according to earthsky.org. There’s no definite peak time for the Delta Aquarids, and the medium-speed meteors go on fairly steadily through late July and early August. If you want to pinpoint the best viewing dates on the calendar, pencil in July 28-29.

MORE ABOUT METEOR SHOWERS: Patch’s Complete 2016 Meteor Shower Guide
The best viewing times are an hour or two before dawn, but the meteors will compete with a waning crescent moon in late July. You may be able to see some in early August under a new moon.

And then, get ready to rock and roll, stargazers.

In early August, the Perseids duel with the Delta Aquarids to make this a prime time for meteor shower viewing.

If you want to impress your stargazing friends, point out the difference. It will be helpful to understand the concept of radiant points to do this, however.

The Delta Aquarids appear to radiate from a certain point in front of the constellation Aquarius the Water Bearer, which arcs across the southern sky in the Northern Hemisphere. The radiant point of this shower nearly aligns with the star Skat (Delta Aquarii).

The Perseids radiate from the constellation Perseus. In the Northern Hemisphere, it’s located in the northeast to high in the north part of the sky, and it’s visible between midnight and dawn, which also happens to be the best time to watch the Perseids.

So, if you see meteors coming from the north, they’re Perseids; if they’re coming from the south, they’re the Delta Aquarids. If you’re lucky and you’re in a dark sky area — your best bet for viewing meteors in any case — you may see the Perseids and Delta Aquarids crossing to make for a spectacular sky show.

What's Ahead for the Rest of the Year?

Oct. 7, Draconids
This shower also favors the Northern Hemisphere. Great news! You don't have to stay up late to view this one, because the Draconids are most likely to fly in the evening hours. It’s usually a sleeper of a sky show, earthsky.org says, but in rare instances, the constellation Draco the Dragon in the northern sky can fire off hundreds of meteors in a single hour.
Oct. 20-21,Orionids
The glare of a waning gibbous moon in the early morning hours just before sunrise could intrude with the Orionids, which typically produce 10 to 20 meteors per hour. Most meteors in this shower tend to fall after midnight, and they’re typically at their best in the wee hours just before dawn. The Orionids also sometimes present bright fireballs.
Nov. 4-5, South Taurids
Though the best viewing conditions are likely to be after midnight on Nov. 5, the Taurids are very long-lasting, from Sept. 25-Nov. 25. They only offer about seven meteors an hour, but the Taurids are known for having a high percentage of fireballs. This is the first of two Taurid meteor showers, and it always adds a few more meteors to the South Taurids’ peak night.
Nov. 11-12, North Taurids
This shower is long-lasting, too, from Oct. 12-Dec. 2, but modest as well with only about seven meteors an hour, with most of the activity taking place around midnight. The meteors are slow moving, but very bright. The waxing gibbous moon could outshine this year’s shower.
Nov. 16-17, Leonids
Some of the greatest meteor storms in history have been associated with this event, which can produce rates of thousands of meteors per minute during a span of 15 minutes, as occurred on Nov. 17, 1966. “ Some who witnessed the 1966 Leonid meteor storm said they felt as if they needed to grip the ground, so strong was the impression of Earth plowing along through space, fording the meteoroid stream,” earthsky.org says.
Dec.13-14, Geminids
The last meteor shower of the year is usually one of the finest meteor showers visible in either the Northern or the Southern Hemisphere, but a full moon will be out all night, subduing the typically prolific Geminids, which can produce up to 120 meteors per hour. The shower peaks around 2 a.m.
Dec. 21-22, Ursids
This minor meteor shower often goes unnoticed. Produced by the dust grains left behind by the comet Tuttle, it produces only about five to 10 meteors an hour. The shower runs from Dec. 17-25, but it should peak around Dec. 21. The moon will be 23 days old at the time of peak activity, so it shouldn’t present too much of a problem.
Image: A fireball from the Perseids meteor shower in 2013 was so bright it illuminated the clouds. (Photo by Mike Lewinski via Flickr / Creative Commons)