Great summer meteor shower to peak late this week

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - The last few months haven’t featured much for meteor shower lovers. We’ve been in a meteor shower drought of sorts. That will change this week as the Delta Aquariids peak Thursday night.

It may not be the most incredible meteor shower of the year, but it will be a solid showing in 2022. That’s because the moon will be in its new phase, meaning there will be no moonlight to wash out the meteors.

Combine the new moon with mostly clear skies and you have the recipe for a worthwhile meteor shower.

Up to 20 meteors per hour will be visible late this week as the shower peaks. — Up to 20 meteors per hour will be visible late this week as the shower peaks.(WSFA 12 News)

The Delta Aquariids produce around 20 meteors per hour under ideal conditions. Be sure to head out to a dark place with an unobstructed view to the south -- where you should be looking Thursday night.

Simply give your eyes 30 minutes to adjust to total darkness and then look southward and enjoy the view!

What makes the Delta Aquariids special is some of the meteors you see are actually part of the Perseid meteor shower. That shower peaks in mid-August, but some of the meteors you see in late July will almost certainly be Perseids!

Meteor showers are going to start picking up as summer comes to a close and fall begins. — Meteor showers are going to start picking up as summer comes to a close and fall begins.(WSFA 12 News)

This uptick in meteor activity won’t last as another quiet period carries us through late August and all of September. Then things pick right back up to round out the year. October, November and December will all feature multiple meteor showers.

That includes the Orionids and Geminids, the latter of which is arguably the best shower of the year.

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