Buffalo-Strong-A-Community-United-658x90.jpg

Actions

Look to the sky! Delta Aquarid Meteor Shower to peak Thursday and Friday

Posted at 12:03 PM, Jul 27, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-27 15:02:55-04

Keep your eye to the sky early Thursday morning. The peak of the Delta Aquarid Meteor Shower happens over the next couple of days.

At peak, around 10-20 meteors will be streaking across the sky early Thursday and Friday morning. The best viewing times will be right around dawn.

Best place to watch the meteors will be areas far away from light pollution. So if you live in Buffalo, you're going to have to take a drive from the city all the way to a rural area to get a good view. 

If you don't feel like traveling, the Slooh Community Observatory will be live streaming this event on Thursday at 8pm. 

Chunks of rocks from comets break off when they fly to close to the sun. The earth enters a debris field, giving us sometimes a spectacular show in the sky at night.

The moon will enter into a waning crescent phase now through early August. This allows for a darker sky, making it easier to view the meteors too. 

In July, the meteor shower typically favors the Southern Hemisphere. However, this doesn't mean that we're out of luck. 

The bad news is clouds will make it difficult to view the meteor shower across the area over the next couple of days. However, if you feel as if you missed out on an opportunity, no worries. This show is just a precursor to the Perseid in mid August, where 200 meteors an hour are expected to streak across the sky.