Summer meteors begin: delta Aquariids and planets on both skies
The southern delta Aquariids are already flying, the Perseids start July 17, and a new Moon delivers the darkest sky of the month. Here is what to look for.
- The southern delta Aquariids started on July 12, peaking at the end of the month (July 29-30).
- A new Moon on July 14 gives the darkest sky of the month, ideal for the naked eye.
- The Perseids begin on July 17 and run into August.
- Venus and Jupiter sit low in the west after sunset, Saturn and Mars rise in the east before dawn.
Is it even worth going outside when the shower is only just starting? It is, and these are the nights to do it. The sky is darker now than it will be at the actual peak, so catching a few meteors now is easier than chasing a crowd of them later, when the Moon washes everything out.
The summer meteor season has officially started. The southern delta Aquariids have been flying since July 12, with their maximum near the end of the month, around the 29th and 30th. It is not the strongest shower out there, but it is the warm-up for what everyone waits for. The Perseids, the best known summer shower, begin on July 17 and stretch deep into August. Layered on top, around July 31, come the alpha Capricornids, a shower that yields few meteors but tends to fire off unusually bright fireballs.
When and where to look
The best time is late evening and the hours before dawn, when the sky is at its calmest. Find a spot away from city lights, face south and east, and give your eyes at least twenty minutes to adjust to the dark. No telescope, no binoculars, just a wide view of the sky.
A tested rule: keep the phone in your pocket. The screen ruins in a second the night vision you spent twenty minutes building. Lie on your back, wear something warmer than you think you need, because even summer nights outdoors can turn cold.
Alongside the meteors, planets wait on both sides of the sky. Right after sunset, low in the west, Venus and Jupiter shine as the two brightest objects in that part of the sky. If you hold out until before dawn, Saturn and Mars rise in the east. So one night offers two completely different sights, just at different ends of the sky and at different hours.
Why now and not late July?
Here is the catch. The delta Aquariids peak on July 28 and 29, but on exactly those nights a full Moon lights up the sky. A full Moon works against you: it scatters light across the whole sky and erases the fainter meteors before you can spot them. On paper it is the peak, in practice it is an awkward window.
That is what makes mid-July unexpectedly good. The new Moon on July 14 means there is practically no moonlight, and that is the single most important condition for naked-eye viewing. The meteor count these nights is lower, but every one that streaks past is far more visible against a dark sky.
Our advice is simple: do not wait for the peak date on the chart. Use the dark nights around the new Moon now, then come back to the Perseids in August, when the Moon is on your side again. To watch, you need nothing but a clear sky, a little patience, and a place without streetlights.
And when the first meteor suddenly slides across the sky, will you manage to make a wish, or will you, like all of us the first time, just stare?
