Thanks to its long days and cloudless conditions, summer is when astronomical sightings peak across the region. And luckily for budding astronomers, the UAE meteor shower season will bring two celestial displays over the coming weeks. Diligent sky-gazers will get the chance to spot the fiery trails of the Southern Delta Aquariids and Perseids Meteor Shower as they put on a show above the UAE in late July and August. This is everything you need to know about the upcoming UAE meteor shower dates and how to spot them, and you can find our round-up of the best places to watch the celestial show in the UAE here.
Southern Delta Aquariids Meteor in Milky Way
Alvis UpitisSouthern Delta Aquariids
An annual UAE meteor shower, the Southern Delta Aquariids, will be partly visible from the UAE between Wednesday, 29 July and Thursday, 30 July. However, as the celestial event coincides with the next full moon (the Buck Moon) this year, “the bright moonlight will significantly reduce the number of meteors that can be seen”, explains Khadijah Ahmad, operations manager at Dubai Astronomy Group. Known for their steady flow of motion, around 15-20 meteors are estimated to whiz through the sky per hour, though with the moon, “only the brighter meteors are likely to be visible”, says Ahmad. The origin of the debris remains somewhat of a mystery, though NASA believes the Southern Delta Aquariids hail from the 96P/Machholz Comet, which skirts around the sun.
Peak visibility: 11pm to 4am on Wednesday, 29 July and Thursday, 30 July