Summer Meteor Showers In Virginia: Peak Dates, How To Watch

VIRGINIA — There's nothing like sitting outside on a warm summer night and watching fireballs streak across the sky. Over the next few weeks, you may see meteors anytime you look up in the evening. That's thanks to the cosmic shows of the summer meteor showers: the Delta Aquarids and the glorious Perseids.

The Delta Aquarids run July 12-Aug. 23 and peak July 27-28.

Think of the Delta Aquarids as the dress rehearsal for the more reliable Perseids. That typically prolific meteor shower runs July 17-Aug. 24, peaking overnight on Aug. 12-13.

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The Delta Aquarid meteor shower, produced by debris left behind by the comets Marsden and Kracht, is an average show, producing about 20 meteors an hour at its peak.

There's a bit of bad news — a nearly full moon at the peak, on July 27, will blot out the dimmest of the shooting stars — but there's some good news, too: Meteors from the slow-moving shower will still be flying when the Perseid meteor shower begins, so you should be able to see meteors flying from opposite directions.

RELATED: Supermoons, Lunar Eclipse, Meteor Showers In Virginia In 2018

The Perseids, which are typically rich in fireballs that create long, dramatic streaks in the sky, promise to be worth the wait this year.

At the shower's peak, a thin sliver will be all that is visible of a crescent moon, and meteors should fly at a rate of 60 to 100 an hour.

In "outburst" years, such as 2016, the intensity can reach 200 meteors an hour.

NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke doesn't expect an outburst this year, but said the Perseids will still be the best meteor shower of 2018.

"This year the moon will be near new moon, it will be a crescent, which means it will set before the Perseid show gets underway after midnight," Cooke told Space.com. "The moon is very favorable for the Perseids this year, and that'll make the Perseids probably the best shower of 2018 for people who want to go out and view it."

The historically bright Perseids are produced by the comet Swift-Tuttle, discovered in 1862. The meteors fall between the constellations Perseus and Cassiopeia, but just look up and you should be able to see them anywhere in the sky.

When To Watch

With both meteor showers, the best viewing times are after midnight toward the pre-dawn hours, but you might be able to see a few as soon as it's dark.

• Delta Aquarids
  • Peak: Friday, July 27, to Saturday, July 28
  • Shower: Thursday, July 12, to Thursday, Aug. 23

• Perseids
  • Peak: Sunday, Aug. 12, to Monday, Aug. 13
  • Shower: Tuesday, July 17, to Friday, Aug. 24

Dark skies away from light pollution offer the best viewing conditions, but there are some good places to see meteors in big cities, too, liked outside D.C. in Greenbelt Park.

In Virginia, the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club recommends watching at Big Meadows observation area in Shenandoah National Park and C. M. Crockett Park in Midland.

Here are tips for meteor watching from NASA:

• Take along something comfortable to sit or lie down on, such as a reclining chair or a yoga mat so you can see most of the sky.
• Be patient. Under ideal conditions, you should be able to see one meteor within half an hour or so.
• Leave the binoculars and telescopes at home. They'll rob you of the best views. Meteors are stunning without them, and using binoculars or telescopes will limit the amount of sky you're able to see and increase the chances you'll see nothing but dark skies.
• Avoid looking at your cellphone or anything else that produces light. If you need to see something, use a red light. Some flashlights have interchangeable filters; if yours doesn't, you can always paint the clear filter with red fingernail polish.

— By Patch editor Beth Dalbey

Photo: NASA / Bill Ingalls