Star-gazers can expect a bonanza. They can look out for an annual Perseids meteor shower next month, even as they watch the Delta Aquarids meteor from today till Aug. 23.
Hence, it is a double delight. You can wait for up to 20 flashes per hour, and on July 28 and 29, the Delta Aquarids meteor shower will brightly light up the sky.
Showers usually erupt when a comet nears the sun and creates meteoroids, or debris, that spreads around the comet's orbit. There is a meteor shower whenever the earth's orbit coincides with the comet's. There are always fireballs shooting up and illuminating the sky many times a year.
The annual meteor shower called the Perseids shower next month will be among the most popular ones. The other wonder, the Delta Aquarids meteor, began on July 12, but will last for 20 days next month.
The shower is conspicuous in the southern hemisphere but can also be viewed in the northern hemisphere. Experts point out that fireballs and shooting stars tend to be pretty faint. In order to see them completely and enjoy them, you can watch the showers when there is no moon, and the skies are dark. Hence, you can see the amazing shooting stars at about 2:00 am or 3:00 am, if you want to overlook the faint meteorites. But the dark August sky with crescent moons would be better.
If you are still fuddled, you can get better views with online observator, Slooh, which will give you live meteors shower broadcasts in the sky. With robotic telescopes, Slooh can shoot photographs as well as live telescope feeds, even as scientists annotate the entire amazing phenomenon.
