The weather might not have been the kindest to us this year (although that might be changing). We admit that. But mother nature is trying. Exhibit A: we’re due not one, but two meteor showers at the end of this month.
That’s right. Twice in one month our skies will be lit up with cosmic rubble travelling at tens of thousands of miles per hour. Admittedly, these won’t be as impressive as the aurora borealis was last month, but they’re still worth keeping an eye out for.
Firstly there are the Alpha Capricornids. They’re not hugely noticeable without a telescope, but they’ll be there. More importantly is the Delta Aquariid shower, which will be quite a bit more visible.
The Delta Aquariids are best to see in the southern hemisphere, but they’re still visible from up here on a clear evening. Both showers will be at their peak on July 30, so keep an eye out then.
The official guidance to maximise your likelihood of seeing the shower with the naked is as follows.
- Make sure that you are in a dark sky area and have an unobstructed view towards the south.
- Lie down on a blanket or sit in a lawn chair to ensure that you have a wide view of the sky.
- Don’t use binoculars or a telescope as these have narrow fields of view.
- Allow your eyes to adapt to the dark and don’t look at any lights, or at your phone, to maintain your dark adaptation.
You can read the Royal Museums Greenwich’s extensive information on the meteor shower calendar here.
If the clouds don’t play along on this time, don’t worry. There’s a much biggest meteor display due in mid-August, but we’ll keep you updated on that closer to the time. For now, enjoy the Aquariids – make a midsummer’s wish for sunnier weather if you get the chance.
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