This shower of meteors, which announces the arrival of the famous Perseids of August, promises pretty white streaks in the darkness.
Notice to astronomy and starry sky enthusiasts. If the month of June was marked by a shower of shooting stars in broad daylight (the Arietids), the summer sky has its first official nocturnal meeting in store for us: the Southern Delta Aquarids. This shower of meteors, which announces the arrival of the famous Perseids of August, promises pretty white streaks in the darkness.
At the peak of the event, Delta Aquarids can produce between 15 and 25 shooting stars per hour. The icing on the cake this year: the peak coincides exactly with that of another minor shower, the Alpha Capricornides. This double crossing promises to add a few more meteors, sometimes very bright, to the show. Concretely, we will observe two very distinct types of trails: the first, fast and discreet, will cross paths with the second, known to be much slower but capable of transforming into real luminous and colorful “balls of fire”.
This swarm crosses the Earth’s atmosphere throughout the month, but the meteors will be particularly numerous during a very specific night: that of Thursday July 30 to Friday July 31, 2026, with an optimal window around 2 a.m., according to information from the specialized site Starwalk. This is when the radiant (the apparent starting point of meteors) will be highest in the sky. This will be the perfect time to sit comfortably outside.
The starting point of this shower of shooting stars is in the constellation Aquarius (which is called Aquarius in Latin). To spot it from France, you will have to look at the horizon towards the South (use the compass on your phone). No need for a telescope or binoculars to admire the spectacle, your eyes are enough. But since the Moon will be very bright that evening, try to position yourself so that you have it at your back or hidden by a tree or wall. Stay away from cities or public lights and favor the countryside, mountains or dark beaches.
If the weather or the Moon play spoilsport, console yourself: the Delta Aquarids are only an appetizer before the great fireworks of the Perseids, the absolute peak of which will take place in mid-August in a sky this time completely black. A little patience…
