About 50 tons of space debris hit Earth every day, while some of them shyly vanish into the atmosphere, some display a glorious cosmic saga, known as a meteor shower. A meteor shower appears when the orbit of our planet criss-crosses the orbit of a comet. The comet leaves traces of rocky material as they travel. Each year, the Earth passes through the pathways of these debris known as meteoroid streams and the planet observes a specular show of light.

Wondering why these rocky material glows and shimmers? That's because the debris passes through our atmosphere, which builds up fiction with air particles ultimately generating enormous amounts of heat. As the debris falls over the night sky, the heat vaporizes and illuminates them, which we see as shooting stars!

As the end of July approaches, the sky is again getting ready to lure sky gazers through a spectacular night of the comet 96P/Maccholz. One of the longest-running meteor showers, the Delta Aquariids meteor shower started on 12 July and will continue till 23 August. These glorious streaks of shooting stars will nominally peak in the early hours of 29 July.

As we move closer towards the night of the comet, let's explore more about the Delta-Aquariids Meteor Shower, where and how you can watch this sensational sight.

What is Delta-Aquariids Meteor Shower?

The Delta-Aquariids is a meteor shower display that produces about 10 to 20 meteors per hour on average. The meteors originate from the constellation named Aquarius, near the star Delta Aquarii, officially named Skat, hence it is named Delta Aquariids. This annual shower ensues as the Earth rushes through the cascade of debris left behind by the comet as it travels.

The Delta Aquariids are often considered to be the onset of the prolific and astounding Perseid meteor shower, which peaks two weeks later, on the night of 12th August. The longest Delta Aquariids meteor shower parades a decent number of meteors for several days after and before the peak.

Unfortunately, in 2021, the luminous and dwindling moon is likely to hide a good number of these hazy meteors.

Best Time To View This Spectacular Sight

The Delta Aquariids shower is visible from the Southern Hemisphere as well as mid-northern latitudes. The best time to view this celestial sight is an hour before sunrise. The shower is expected to reach its highest point around 3:30 am. So, you must start your meteor watch from around 2 am to improve your chances of catching a glimpse of the meteors.

We suggest that you ensure you are under a dark sky area and have an unrestrained view towards the south direction. Also, your bare eyes are the best instrument to use to see meteors.

Final Thoughts

Are you someone who likes to explore celestial events and planetary movements? The Practically app has some interesting 3D videos, AR experiences, and simulations for you that can offer you life-like learning experiences. Head to the Practically app and know more about our amazing planet and the solar system.

We will soon be back with another round of one such marvelous cosmic event in the Cosmic Saga series. Till then, stay tuned and Learn Practically!

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