From July 12 to August 23, the meteors of the delta aquarids will illuminate the sky of Lanzarote as every year. To this summer episode will also be added the perseids or Tears of San Lorenzo, the rain of shooting stars that will take place as every year on August 12.
As reported by the National Geographic Institute, the rain of meteors from the delta aquarids reached its peak in the past two nights, from July 30 to 31 and from July 31 to August 1, but can be enjoyed for three more weeks of August. In that period, the Moon was close to the first quarter and facilitated its observation after midnight, when the radiant (the point from which the shooting stars seem to start) is rising through the sky
According to this same source, the meteors of the delta aquarids seem to come from the comet 96P Machholz, which orbits around the Sun every five years. "This orbit is full of particles from the tail of the comet, which enter the Earth's atmosphere at high speed, and is burned by friction with the air, thus creating the luminous glow," adds the IGN.
To see this special phenomenon it is better to go to areas with clear spaces and not use optical instruments that limit the field of vision. In this way, experts propose to look towards the darkest areas of the sky, in the opposite direction to the Moon, lie down and wait.
The expected Tears of San Lorenzo
Just as the delta aquarids can be enjoyed throughout the month, the perseids can be seen from July 17 to August 24. Despite this, their nights of greatest activity are between August 11 and 13. Also, its maximum will be on August 12 at 9:00 p.m. in the Canary Islands, just after sunset and before the Moon rises, which those days will be ending its full phase, making vision difficult.
The National Geographic Institute explains that the perseids can be seen from all over the northern hemisphere. These meteors can exceed 50 kilometers per second and in one hour up to 200 meteors can be observed.
