Tonight is the peak of the Delta Aquarid meteor shower , which has been visible since July 12 and will run until August 23 . Though this is a minor exhibitioner and there are only expected to be 15 - 20 sightings per hour , Saturday ’s new moon means the sky will be squeamish and dark and the meteors will come along promising . For those that ca n’t get out of doors to watch , Sloohwill be doing alert webcastof the case tonight , starting at 10 pm EDT . Slooh uranologist Bob Berman will be provide commentary from the Institute of Astrophysics , Canary Islands .
The best prison term to consider will be during pre - dawn hours as far off from city lights as possible . The shower bath will be visible almost anywhere in the world ( light contamination and weather permitting , of course ) but those living in the tropical zone will have the best persuasion . The meteor will appear to be beam from the constellation Aquarius from thestar Skat , also known as Delta Aquarii .
Image by Till Credner ( www.allthesky.com ) , via Wikimedia Commons
There is a chance that tonight ’s astronomer in the Northern Hemisphere will spot meteors from the Perseids shower ; an yearly favorite that will peak August 10 - 13 . ( Do n’t get your hopes too high for that one ; it will be compete with perigee moon — also known as a supermoon — and most meteors will be wash out . ) Perseid meteor will come out much bright than those from the Delta Aquarids and will appear to come from the constellation Perseus .
so as to ensure that the meteor respect and studied tonight are from the Aquarids , the Prescott Observatory in Arizona will be using specialised low - spark equipment that will filter out smart objects . These reflection will be included in tonight ’s webcast .
" The event obtained by this new equipment are what ’s primarily fascinating , ” Berman said in a press release . " We ’re hoping to capture more meteor than ever before , despite the small-scale nature of this comparatively little known exhibitor . ”
Meteor showers are because of remnants of comets , and uranologist can typically discover which one the Delta Aquarid meteor rise . The Delta Aquarids , however , are a second more mysterious . Though they were originally believe to have come from the Marsden and Kracht comet , Comet 96P Machholz has late become a contender .
Do n’t forget to channelise outdoors tonight or see the webcast aright here :
need to ensure you catch all the great sky watch chance this year ? Check out the IFLS2014 Sky Watching Guide .
