July and August are probably the brightest months of the year, thanks to overlapping meteor showers that are occurring since the mid of July. And if you haven't seen them yet, the Delta Aquarid shower will be at its peak this Thursday and Friday, July 28 and July 29.
The Perseid meteor shower is the most popular shooting star extravaganza that is anticipated every year. Reports say that the Perseid meteor shower will double its rate from 50-70 to 150-200 shooting stars per hour. The annual shower peaks at mid-August, but it is ushered in by another meteor shower that is currently happening now, the Delta Aquarid.
The Delta shower is already happening but will peak this week on Thursday and Friday. And people lucky enough to be in the right place and to have darker skies will be able to enjoy watching shooting stars fly in the sky.
Although the Delta Aquarid stars are fainter than Persied's, the shower is nothing short of fascinating and is also anticipated by astronomers and enthusiasts around the world.
Meteor showers occur when the heat of the Sun melts away parts of comets that comes to close to it. The shooting stars are comet debris that brushes against the Earth's atmosphere creating a spark in the sky. Some meteors reach 90,000 mph per hour speed creating a spectacular view, according to CS Monitor.
Delta shower started shooting meteors on July 12. According to the Space Reporter, the best viewing time for the Delta Meteor shower is at 2:00 am. While Earthsky reported that the Delta Aquanid favors the Southern Hemisphere. But others from different parts of the world may also see the shower depending on the city lights within their location that might influence the night sky and possibly block them from seeing the faint meteor shower.
A live streaming of the meteor shower can be seen on the Slooh, a community observatory that provides a glimpse of the celestial extravaganza to those who cannot see the shower in person. Some weather news channels around the world will also contribute to the community observatory like the Weathernews Japan.