Updated

Updated · USA TODAY · Jul 12

Perseids and Delta Aquariids Turn Active Through Aug. 24, Bringing Up to 50 Meteors an Hour

Updated

Updated · USA TODAY · Jul 12

Perseids and Delta Aquariids Turn Active Through Aug. 24, Bringing Up to 50 Meteors an Hour

2 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Jul 12

July 12 marks the start of the Southern Delta Aquariids, which run through Aug. 23 and peak around July 30-31 with roughly 15 to 20 meteors an hour under dark skies.
A bright waning gibbous moon is expected to mute that shower, while the Perseids—active July 17 to Aug. 24—build to an Aug. 12-13 peak under a dark new moon.
30 to 50 Perseid meteors an hour could be visible from dark rural locations, especially in the pre-dawn hours when the radiant climbs highest above the horizon.
Both showers form when Earth crosses debris trails left by comets—96P/Machholz for the Delta Aquariids and Swift-Tuttle for the Perseids—and viewers are advised to seek dark sites and avoid bright lights.

Sources

Beyond the spectacle, how do this summer's meteor showers threaten NASA's planned missions to the moon?

How do shooting stars help scientists uncover secrets of planets forming around other distant stars?

Could the comet debris we see as shooting stars warn of a future Tunguska-like impact on Earth?

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