Will I see the Southern Delta Aquariids 2027?
A long, gentle shower that overlaps the start of the Perseids. Faint meteors, best on dark, moonless nights in the south.
Worth a look
Up to about 8 meteors an hour from a dark place near London around 02:59, with a thin crescent (13% lit) up at the best hour. In a city, about 1.
From your city, 29–30 Jul
Meteors an hour at the best moment of the peak night (local time), from a dark place nearby and from the city itself, and how often the sky was clear on that night (2014–2025).
UK & Ireland
| City | Best time | Dark sky | In the city | Clear sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 02:59 | 8/h | 1/h | 56% |
| Manchester | 02:59 | 7/h | 1/h | 31% |
| Birmingham | 02:59 | 7/h | 1/h | 46% |
| Bristol | 02:59 | 8/h | 1/h | 47% |
| Cardiff | 02:59 | 8/h | 1/h | 46% |
| Newcastle | 02:59 | 7/h | 1/h | 49% |
| Glasgow | 02:59 | 6/h | 1/h | 58% |
| Edinburgh | 02:59 | 6/h | 1/h | 71% |
| Belfast | 03:14 | 7/h | 1/h | 11% |
| Dublin | 03:14 | 7/h | 1/h | 25% |
Europe
| City | Best time | Dark sky | In the city | Clear sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris | 03:44 | 9/h | 2/h | 45% |
| Amsterdam | 03:29 | 7/h | 1/h | 32% |
| Brussels | 03:29 | 8/h | 1/h | 41% |
| Berlin | 02:59 | 7/h | 1/h | 45% |
| Munich | 02:59 | 9/h | 2/h | 44% |
| Zurich | 03:14 | 9/h | 2/h | 52% |
| Vienna | 02:44 | 9/h | 2/h | 42% |
| Copenhagen | 02:59 | 6/h | 1/h | 62% |
| Stockholm | 00:59 | 4/h | 1/h | 38% |
| Oslo | – | 0/h | 0/h | 39% |
| Helsinki | – | 0/h | 0/h | 52% |
| Reykjavík | – | 0/h | 0/h | 24% |
| Madrid | 03:14 | 12/h | 2/h | 81% |
| Barcelona | 02:44 | 12/h | 2/h | 66% |
| Lisbon | 02:44 | 13/h | 2/h | 55% |
| Rome | 01:59 | 11/h | 2/h | 85% |
| Athens | 02:29 | 13/h | 2/h | – |
North America
| City | Best time | Dark sky | In the city | Clear sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 02:14 | 13/h | 2/h | 54% |
| Boston | 01:59 | 12/h | 2/h | 67% |
| Washington DC | 02:29 | 14/h | 2/h | 68% |
| Atlanta | 03:14 | 16/h | 3/h | 56% |
| Miami | 03:29 | 18/h | 3/h | 52% |
| Chicago | 01:59 | 12/h | 2/h | 71% |
| Dallas | 03:14 | 16/h | 3/h | 72% |
| Denver | 02:29 | 14/h | 2/h | 65% |
| Phoenix | 02:14 | 16/h | 3/h | 67% |
| Los Angeles | 02:44 | 16/h | 3/h | 70% |
| San Francisco | 02:44 | 14/h | 3/h | 65% |
| Seattle | 01:59 | 10/h | 2/h | 86% |
| Toronto | 02:29 | 12/h | 2/h | 74% |
| Montreal | 01:44 | 11/h | 2/h | 66% |
| Vancouver | 02:44 | 9/h | 2/h | 84% |
| Calgary | 03:14 | 9/h | 2/h | 72% |
Australia, New Zealand & South Africa
| City | Best time | Dark sky | In the city | Clear sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | 01:59 | 22/h | 4/h | 64% |
| Melbourne | 02:14 | 22/h | 4/h | 58% |
| Brisbane | 01:44 | 23/h | 4/h | 81% |
| Perth | 02:14 | 22/h | 4/h | 45% |
| Auckland | 02:14 | 22/h | 4/h | – |
| Christchurch | 02:29 | 21/h | 4/h | – |
| Cape Town | 02:59 | 22/h | 4/h | 66% |
The coming years
The moon decides most years. From a dark place near London at the best time:
| Year | Peak night (UK) | Moon | Meteors/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 29–30 Jul | 13% | 8 |
| 2028 | 29–30 Jul | 59% | 9 |
| 2029 | 29–30 Jul | 81% | 3 |
| 2030 | 29–30 Jul | 0% | 10 |
Southern Delta Aquariids in numbers
- Active
- Jul 12 – Aug 23
- Radiant
- Aquarius (RA 340°, Dec -16°)
- Speed
- 41 km/s
- Parent
- comet 96P/Machholz (likely)
- Best from
- the southern hemisphere and tropics
Other showers coming up
Northern Taurids
Quiet showerUp to 5 an hour in perfect skiesLeonids
Worth a lookUp to 15 an hour in perfect skiesGeminids
Great yearUp to 150 an hour in perfect skiesUrsids
Quiet showerUp to 10 an hour in perfect skiesSouthern Delta Aquariids: questions
It peaks at 08:59 UTC on 30 July 2027, so the best night is 29–30 July 2027 in the UK. It is active from Jul 12 – Aug 23.
In perfect skies up to 25 an hour (the ZHR). From a dark place near London, about 8 an hour at the best time; near New York 13; near Sydney 22. From a town, about a fifth of that.
Around 02:59 in the UK on the peak night, when the radiant in Aquarius is 22° high. Check your own city above.
Dust from comet 96P/Machholz (likely). The Earth crosses its trail every year; the bits burn up at 41 km/s about 100 km up. They seem to come from Aquarius, which gives the shower its name.
From airport weather records 2014–2025, the sky on the Southern Delta Aquariids peak nights was on average 56% clear in London, 54% in New York and 64% in Sydney. Every city is in the table above.