Sky Watch: Southern Delta Aquariids

Hey, stargazers! This is a heads up to look up into the night sky tomorrow evening (into the early morning of the 29th) to catch the peak of the Southern Delta Aquariids meteor shower going on currently. In fact, it's actually been poppin' off since the 12th, and will continue to be active until August 23rd, but this is when you will see a kick up in those streakin' beauts commonly called shooting stars.

The Delta Aquariids are said to have originated when the Marsden and Kracht Sungazing comets broke apart. They get their name from the alignment of their radiant, which lies in the constellation Aquarius; and more specifically, nearest to one of the brightest stars in the bunch, Delta Aquarii. What's especially cool is that this shower can be seen from literally anywhere on the globe, equally [insert group hug].

There are actually two branches to it, called the Southern and the Northern, but the Southern is the stronger of the two (and the one we are experiencing right now). On average, you should be able to witness about 15-20 meteors per hour, with an influx during peak times like tomorrow night into Monday morning. During the Northern portion, which reaches its crescendo later in mid-August, one can expect to see about half of that.  

Grab a piece of meteorite so you can watch in theme!

If you don't get a chance to slip out and catch the pinnacle of this particular sky show in the next few days, fear not. The new moon in early August means darkened night sky conditions, which are optimal for viewing meteors. The prime time for looking skyward is approximately 2 a.m. for all time zones around the world. So, as you're leaving your favorite bar or booty call to get home for work in a few hours, don't forget to look up from your phone for a few minutes – the stars might even save you from sending that embarrassing drunken text, who knows!

xo

Brittany