Meteor shower 2027
Delta Aquariid meteor shower 2027
Updated
Next Delta Aquariid peak: night of Jul 30–31, 2027 (ZHR 25) Active Jul 12 – Aug 23; Moon 10% lit at peak (dark skies, excellent).
When the Southern Delta Aquariids peak in 2027, how many meteors to expect, how bright the Moon will be, and where to look, computed from the International Meteor Organization's shower parameters.
- Peak
- Jul 30, 2027 2027-07-30 18:30 UTC, solar longitude 127°
- ZHR at peak
- 25 meteors per hour, ideal sky, radiant overhead
- Moon at peak
- 10% lit Waning crescent, dark skies, excellent
- Radiant
- RA 22h 40m, Dec −16° SDA
- Speed
- 41 km/s medium
- Best from
- Southern Hemisphere
- Parent body
- probably comet 96P/Machholz
When the Southern Delta Aquariids peak in 2027
In 2027 the Southern Delta Aquariids peak at 2027-07-30 18:30 UTC, when the Sun reaches solar longitude 127° (J2000). That makes the night of Jul 30–31 the one to watch; the activity window opens July 12, 278 days from now.
The Moon will be 10% illuminated (waning crescent) at the peak: dark skies, excellent. In 2028 the peak falls on Jul 30, 2028 with the Moon 64% lit, a worse year for moonlight.
From 45° N the radiant stands 7° high at 10 pm and 24° at 4 am local time, so the pre-dawn hours are best. With the radiant at 24°, a ZHR of 25 means roughly 10 meteors per hour under a perfectly dark sky; light pollution and moonlight cut that a lot. The radiant never rises north of about 74° N.
How high the radiant gets
Radiant altitude on the peak night at 10 pm and 4 am local time. The higher the radiant, the more meteors you see.
| Latitude | 10 pm | 4 am |
|---|---|---|
| 50° N (London, Calgary) | 4° | 20° |
| 35° N (Los Angeles, Tokyo) | 12° | 33° |
| Equator | 26° | 58° |
| 35° S (Sydney, Buenos Aires) | 31° | 59° |
How to watch the Southern Delta Aquariids
Get away from street lights, let your eyes adapt for 20–30 minutes, and look about 40–60° away from the radiant rather than straight at it; meteors appear all over the sky and their trails point back to Aquarius. No telescope or binoculars needed.
Delta Aquariid meteors enter the atmosphere at 41 km/s, a medium speed. The Southern Delta Aquariids have a broad, flat maximum around late July and overlap with the early Perseids and the slow, bright Alpha Capricornids, so late-July nights show meteors from several radiants.
Southern Delta Aquariids peak dates
| Year | Peak (UTC) | Best night | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 2027-07-30 18:30 UTC | Jul 30–31 | 10% lit |
| 2028 | 2028-07-30 00:37 UTC | Jul 29–30 | 64% lit |
| 2029 | 2029-07-30 06:46 UTC | Jul 29–30 | 79% lit |
Peak times come from the mean solar longitude of maximum; real peaks can shift by several hours, and unexpected outbursts happen.
Next meteor showers
More sky pages
Data: International Meteor Organization (working list), GodsView computed Moon and radiant positions.