Perseid Meteor Shower 2013: Delta Aquarids, Peak Times, NASA Live Stream
If you're looking at the night sky in the coming weeks, you may be treated to meteor showers courtesy of the Delta Aquarid and Perseid showers.
The Perseid meteor shower, the more well known of the two astronomical events, will occur this year from Aug. 10-13. Caused by particles of the Swift-Tuttle comet entering the earth's atmosphere, the comets look as if they are coming from the Perseus constellation from which they draw their name, according to ScienceHeathen.
When watching for the meteors, viewers will have a better chance of observing them in the early morning and pre-dawn hours, according to Space. The meteor shower will be occurring several days after the new moon and its light should cause little interference with viewing the show.
The Delta Aquarids begin in mid-July and continue through mid-august with a peak in the early morning of July 29, according to Planetsave. The meteors will appear to come from the star Delta in the Aquarius constellation and, like the Perseids, can be seen best in the early morning.
Unfortunatly for the Delta Aquarids, the moon will be bright for the peak dates of the shower, according to Yahoo!. With the moon rising at midnight during this time, Planetsaves suggests looking earlier in the night even though you will have less of a chance to see the meteors.
NASA Ustream channel has aired the Perseids the last few years and will most likely do so again. Check their channel for updates closer to the date.
