The Delta Aquarids seem to come from between the constellations “aquarius” and “pegasus”
If you want to see the Delta Aquarids meteor shower from Hawaii you need to stay up late in 2012. The bright almost full moon that outshines all but the brightest shooting stars sets a few hours after midnight, and leaves only a few dark hours for meteor watching. Your best chances to see this meteor shower lie in the wee morning hours of July 30th, between 04:00 a.m. and 05:00 a.m.
If you wait two weeks you can watch the far more promising Perseids meteor shower, which has a predicted activity of 100 (!!) shooting stars / hour.
Don’t miss any of the 2012 astronomical fireworks in the Hawaiian sky and bookmark our Hawaii 2012 Astronomy calendar. We will send you Astronomy Alerts for all future Hawaiian astronomy events if you subscribe to our blog.
Best times to see the Delta Aquarids from Hawaii in 2012
The Delta Aquarids are a meteor shower of average activity. During the peak one can see up to 15-20 shooting stars per hour, but only if the viewing conditions are optimal. This year that will only happen in the few hours between moonset and sunrise.
| Date | Moonrise | Moonset | Brightness | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 28 | 15:21 | 01:37 | 81.4% | 06:04 |
| July 29 | 16:21 | 02:36 | 89.8% | 06:04 |
| July 30 | 17:18 | 03:38 | 95.8% | 06:04 |
| July 31 | 18:10 | 04:41 | 99.2% | 06:05 |
This means that the 2012 Delta Aquarids are reserved for night owls or (very) early risers. The best time to see this years shooting stars is very early (between 04:00 and 05:00 am) on the morning of July 30th.
Where are the Delta Aquarids in the Hawaiian sky?
The radiant (= point from which all shooting stars seem to originate) of the Delta Aquarids lies in the constellation Aquarius (the water bearer). On Hawaii, this radiant is almost directly overhead at 03:00 am, and moves slowly in the South Western direction in the hours before sunrise. You can use the following sky map to find where you should look on the sky to see most shooting stars. More meteor shower viewing tips.
Sky chart to find the Delta Aquarids on the Hawaiian sky in 2012. It shows the South-West sky above Hawaii on July 30th 2012 at 05:00. This map has been made with the (free) planetarium software stellarium (www.stellarium.org)
Extra Stargazing tip: Venus and Jupiter
Venus and Jupiter are shining bright in the eastern sky on July 30th 2012
While you are looking for shooting stars you should turn your eyes to the Eastern Horizon. In the early hours you can see the planets Jupiter and Venus as the two brightest points above the eastern horizon. If you take your binoculars try to see how many moons you can see around Jupiter.
Thank you so much for sharing these star tips with us. I love the night sky, and it’s great to know where and when to look.
I’d love to repost this on my WP blog. Is there an easy way to do that?
Aloha nui,
Cymber
Aloha Cymber,
The easiest way I can thing of is to use some text and/or images from my post. Feel free to use whatever you want, but make sure to link back somewhere to the original post.
Enjoy stargazing!
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