Look! The Southern Delta Aquarid meteor shower will give stargazers a treat as shooting stars streak through the Philippines’ night skies these last days of July.
With clear skies, you may glimpse the “shooting stars” before midnight on July 29 until the dawn of July 30, 2020.
According to Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the Southern Delta Aquarid meteor shower will be best observed from July 28 to 31.
The meteor shower is estimated to peak before midnight and onwards from the 29th to the 30th in the part of a complex of radiant in Aquarius, Capricornus and Piscis Austrinus, all of which combine with sporadic and early Perseid activity to provide a nice display of meteors in the last week of the month, the agency adds.
The shower promises as much as 15 meteors per hour under good sky conditions.
The famous Perseids meteor shower will be the next celestial event in August.
PAGASA says that meteors are easiest to observe when there is no moonlight or light pollution. The skies must also be clear.
Here’s how to have the best view of the meteor shower, according to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA):
Viewing Tips
Bill Cooke, the lead for NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office, offers tips for skywatching.
“Meteor showers are an investment [of time]! Preparation is key to seeing them,” Cooke said. “But it’s cheap — just using your eyes will do.” No telescope or binoculars are necessary, he said. “it’s the simplest form of astronomy there is.”
Observers are advised to find a dark spot, well away from street lights. Cooke discourages the use of mobile phones so your eyes can adjust to the dark. Give your eyes 30 to 45 minutes to adapt to the dark, he said, and take in as much of the sky as possible by lying down flat on your back.
Looking halfway between the horizon and the zenith, and 45 degrees from the constellation of Aquarius will improve your chances of viewing the Delta Aquarids. Viewers should get comfy: the show will last until dawn. Be sure to bring something comfortable for you to sit or lie down.
Should observers miss the meteor shower in its peak, NASA advised that you look for the Delta Aquarids again during the Perseids in August.
No equipment is needed to observe a meteor shower. It’s also safe to view them with the naked eye.
Also this month, the rare Comet NEOWISE was spotted in Philippine skies.
In June, a rare solar eclipse was seen in the Philippines on Father’s Day.
SHARE WITH US in the comments below, what are your experiences about stargazing and the meteor shower set to show on Philippines skies these last days of July?
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