There’s a Meteor Shower Shooting Over Your Head Right Now
The sky is full of surprises!
This month has already been really generous in terms of beautiful sky shows. We’ve had the flower Supermoon and a total lunar eclipse to watch already (that occurred at the same time!). But that’s not the last of the viewings from above. It turns out there’s a meteor shower happening right now — but you might not be able to see it. Here’s what you need to know.
The Daytime Arietids Are Here
According to Starwalk, the Daytime Arietids have been active since May 14 and they run for a while – until June 24. “Daytime Arietids are the strongest daytime meteor shower of the year,” Starwalk reports.
Can You See the Meteor Shower?
Unfortunately, while it’s an impressively long meteor shower, it’s not something we’re usually able to see.
“The Daytime Arietids are rather hard to observe because their radiant is located only about 30° west of the Sun,” Starwalk explains. This means it’s too bright outside for us to see the meteors. However, they “might still be seen shortly before dawn.”
The Daytime Arietids will reach their peak activity on June 7, if you’re keen to try and catch them just as the sun starts to go down. It’s going to be the best daytime meteor shower all year, so you might catch something up there if you’re looking just as the sun starts to go down or before the sun rises.
What’s Next With the Sky?
The next meteor shower, the Southern delta Aquariids, will also last a while. Beginning on July 18, 2022, and running until August 21, 2022, the shower will peek on the night of July 29-30.
This meteor might be visible, provided there’s a clear night sky and the moon isn’t too bright, because it will rise in mid-evening and peek around 2 a.m. According to EarthSky, the Delta Aquariids can reach a maximum of 20 meteors in the sky at a time, which is quite the show.
So be sure to mark the calendars and spend some time gazing.
