Stargaze › Meteor Showers › Southern Delta Aquariids
Peak: 30 July 2026, around 10:00 UTC
Active: 12 July 2026 – 23 August 2026
Rate at peak: up to 25 meteors/hour (ZHR)
Speed: 41 km/s ·
Parent body: Comet 96P/Machholz ·
Radiant: Aquarius
A steady, reliable shower with a broad peak that holds up for several nights rather than collapsing into a single evening. It overlaps with the early Perseids in late July, giving you two showers at once if you're patient enough to stay out past midnight.
Look south in the pre-dawn hours toward the star Skat in Aquarius. Combine this with early Perseid activity for a genuinely active night. July nights are warm enough that comfort isn't an issue - just find somewhere dark.
Particularly good for southern hemisphere and equatorial observers where the radiant climbs high. From northern mid-latitudes the radiant stays low in the south, reducing observed rates.
No historic outbursts on record, but the consistent rates and long activity window have made it popular with dedicated observers since it was formally identified in the mid-20th century.
The Southern Delta Aquariids peak on 30 July 2026 at around 10:00 UTC. The shower is active from 12 July 2026 to 23 August 2026.
Under dark skies at peak you can expect up to 25 meteors per hour (ZHR). Light pollution and moonlight reduce that figure.
The radiant lies in the constellation Aquarius, but meteors appear across the whole sky. Look south in the pre-dawn hours toward the star Skat in Aquarius. Combine this with early Perseid activity for a genuinely active night. July nights are warm enough that comfort isn't an issue - just find somewhere dark.