The Delta Aquarid meteor shower is about to peak. It will continue through August, overlapping with the Perseids meteor shower. The best viewing time is roughly 1-4 a.m. Find an open sky away from artificial lights, lie down on a deck chair or an outdoor bath and look directly upward. This will naturally direct your gaze to near the apparent centre of the shower. Delta Aquarid is expected to produce 10 to 20 meteors per hour, under a clear dark country sky, like at Huon Bush Retreats or Buttongrass Retreat. You don’t need to locate a shower’s radiant point to enjoy the meteors, but the concept of a radiant point adds a new perspective. If you back trace all the Delta Aquariid meteors, they appear to radiate from a point within the constellation Aquarius. That is pretty much directly overhead during late winter in southern Tasmania. Find the Great Square of Pegasus, draw a line to Fomalhaut. That is the very bright star in the dim constellation Piscis Austrinus, or Southern Fish. Half way along that line is the apparent origin of the Delta Aquarid meteors. See the graphic of the Southern Hemisphere Star Map, and Clifftop cabin at Huon Bush Retreats. Winter discounts are available. Click here to book now. |