Delta Aquarids
The Delta Aquarid meteor shower is actually two showers radiating from points within the same region of sky, and which overlap on the calendar. The Northern shower runs from July 16 to September 10, peaking on 13/14 August, while the Southern delta aquarids cover the period from July 14 to August 18 and peak on 29/30 July. These showers favour us in the Southern Hemisphere, partly because their radiants are high up in our skies, and partly because they peak during our winter, when the skies are clearer and the stars brighter.
The delta aquarid showers have been identified as being made from material thrown off from the comet 96P/Machholz, which some astronomers believe may have been captured from another star billions of years ago. If that is true, then the dust falling onto Earth from the Delta Aquarids may be truly alien, coming from an alien stellar system.
To see this shower, head outside as late as possible and face towards the bright star Formalhaut in the East. Remember that meteors do NOT appear at the radiant, but DO fly in a direction away from it. Keep your vision centered on a region a little to the left of Formalhaut, and you should catch most of the Delta Aquarids, even if only in your peripheral vision.
Written by Allen Versfeld
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