In summer, night sky lovers can take advantage of the good weather and clear skies to enjoy incredible astronomical phenomena. After Comet Neowise grabbed all the attention, we prepared for the arrival of the Perseids, the most famous star shower. Also known as Tears of San Lorenzo, they can be seen this year between July 17 and August 23. However, there is a meteor shower not so well known that it is also quite a spectacle: the Delta Aquarids.
According to him National Geographic Institute (IGN)The Delta Aquarids could come from Comet 96P Machholz, which orbits the Sun every 5 years or so. This phenomenon, thanks to which we can see lights crossing the sky, happens when our planet intersects with the orbital path of a comet. However, it seems that the 2020 is not the best year to see the meteor shower.
The Delta Aquarids can be seen throughout the globe of the August 12 to 23, but they reach their maximum splendor the night of July 29-30. However, the Moon will be in full moon, that is, there will be a full Moon, which will complicate the observation of at least 25 meteors visible from Earth. For this reason, the Madrid Royal Observatory He recommends on his Twitter account to see the astronomical phenomenon at 2:30 am, when our satellite has set.
What do I have to take into account to see Aquarids?
To see the meteor shower we must take into account a series of factors:
- In cities, the environmental and light pollution they can darken the night sky.
- The climate of the area in which we find ourselves will also determine the visibility of the meteors.
- There are areas with higher quality of the night sky than others. The Starlight Foundation awards certificates to the places where the different astronomical shows can best be seen.
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