Editor in chief at IamExpat Media
Stargazers in Germany, you’re in for a treat, as the Delta Aquariids meteor shower - which marks the beginning of the summer meteor season - will peak this week. So long as the German weather plays ball, patient stargazers are in for a celestial spectacle.
The Delta Aquariids is a slow, long-running meteor shower, active every year from around July 12 to August 23. This year, the shower will peak on the nights of July 28 and 29, when you should be able to see up to 10 to 20 shooting stars per hour!
If you miss that day, however, don’t worry too much, because the Delta Aquariids typically provide a decent number of meteors in the days before and after the peak. This is good news because this year the shower’s high point comes just a few days after July’s full moon on July 24, meaning a fair number of meteors will be washed out by the moon’s natural light.
Your chances of glimpsing a shooting star increase as we head into August and the moon wanes, and the Perseids meteor shower rises to its peak (on August 11, 12 and 13), giving you two meteor showers for the price of one!
As is the case for most meteor showers, the best time to look for Delta Aquariids is after midnight and before dawn. If possible, get yourself out of the city to an area where there is little or no artificial light (one of Germany’s national parks would be ideal!).
You also need to cross your fingers that the weather cooperates. Things are very changeable at the moment, but the German Weather Service is predicting it will be quite overcast in the coming days - let’s just hope a gap in the clouds appears!