If you’re a fan of stargazing, make sure you block this evening off in your diary.
The Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower will reach its peak tonight, providing you with the perfect opportunity to see shooting stars from the UK.
The shower takes place from 12 July to 23 August, but will be most active at around 03:30am, according to the UK Meteor Network.
At this point, you should have a pretty good chance of seeing a shooting star, with up to 25 meteors flying overhead every hour.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Delta Aquarids – including how and when to see them from the UK.
The Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower will reach its peak tonight, providing you with the perfect opportunity to see shooting stars from the UK
For your best chance of seeing the meteor shower, head to an area with little light pollution and face south
The Delta Aquarids are a moderate meteor shower that results from the cloud of debris left behind by an unknown comet.
As this debris enters the Earth’s atmosphere, it burns up, resulting in bright meteors in the night sky.
The name of the shower comes from the constellation in the night sky that it appears to be travelling directly outward from.
The radiant of this particular shower lies inside the constellation of Aquarius near the bright star Delta Aquarii.
Although best viewed from the southern hemisphere, those of us in the northern hemisphere will still be able to see it.
‘The best time to see the Delta Aquariids in 2023 is in the early hours of Sunday 30th July,’ UK Meteor Network advises.
‘The peak activity occurs at around 3.30am but you should aim to start watching from 2.00am.’
For your best chance of seeing the meteor shower, head to an area with little light pollution and face south.
Lie down on a blanket or sit in a reclining chair to give yourself a wide view of the sky.
Don’t worry about buying binoculars or a telescope – these have narrow fields of view, so it’s actully more effective to use the naked eye.
If you can stay awake, it’s best to head out early and allow your eyes to adapt to the darkness for a few hours
Unfortunately, the peak occurs when the moon is two days before full, which could make spotting the shooting stars tricky. The Met Office also predicts heavy showers, so you might want to pack an umbrella if you’re venturing out
If you can stay awake, it’s best to head out early and allow your eyes to adapt to the darkness for a few hours.
‘Once you’ve located Delta Aquarii on the sky, look away from the radiant point – if you look in the direction of the radiant you will only see short meteors,’ Royal Museums Greenwich advises.
‘Meteors will appear longer the further away from the radiant you look, so aim your gaze about 45 degrees away from Delta Aquarii.’
Unfortunately, the peak occurs when the moon is two days before full, which could make spotting the shooting stars tricky.
The Met Office also predicts heavy showers, so you might want to pack an umbrella if you’re venturing out.
‘If the forecast isn’t favourable, find a different location to observe from or view the meteor shower on another day,’ Royal Museums Greenwich added.
If you miss this meteor shower, the good news is there’s not long to wait until the next one.
The Perseids Meteor Shower will take place from 12-13 August, with 100 shooting stars every hour.
