Meteor shower will put on a show this weekend, sort of

Meteors will roam the night sky every four minutes early in the morning, but you probably will not see them.

Blame the moon. It will be complete. (19659003) Full moons are perfect for night hikes and falling in love, but they tend to erase the visibility of things like the annual Delta Aquariid meteor shower.

For meteor fans It's not just bad luck that the moon is full, but there is worse chance that the Bay Area is in North America. This is because other parts of the planet will experience a long lunar eclipse that will darken the sky and make the meteors shine. But North America is not on the way to eclipse.

If you look at night – and if you can persuade the moon to go behind a cloud – you will see a white series every few minutes. Nobody knows exactly where in the sky, or when. To watch the meteors, you need patience and a warm jacket.

This weekend, the Delta Aquariids shower is one of dozens of annual meteorite rainstorms for which astronomers are pulling their telescopes off the closet.

A meteor is a piece of debris, another word for junk. Most often a meteor is a piece of rock the size of a grain of sand, poured by a comet. In the case of the Delta Aquariidae shower, the comet carrying out the excretion is called Comet 96P / Machholz.

The Delta Aquariid shower lasts six weeks, but this weekend is when most meteors are programmed by anyone. do the planning. The best observation is around 2 am, at which time people are traditionally busy.

The Delta Aquariids meteor shower occurs every summer from mid-July to mid-August. When it ends, Perseid meteor shower begins, sort of double heavenly trait

The Perseid shower has the best reputation of all showers, and that's the sort of thing that the Chabot Space Science and Space Center Oakland Hills rips off stops for. (The Perseid pajamas unfold on the Chabot deck on August 12 – bring a sleeping bag and $ 85.)

Chabot astronomer Matt Potter said that meteorite fans generally prefer the Perseid shower to the Delta Aquariid shower. The moon means that most spirits will not be changed.

"Honestly, it will not be great, because of the moon," he said.

Until Monday, poor meteorites will be overtaken not only by the moon but by the moon. March. The Chabot Bridge will be open for a special viewing session on March on Monday evening, starting at 10:30 pm. at 2:30 in the morning, when its proximity to the Earth will make Mars particularly bright. The proximity is relatively relative because Mars will still be 34 million miles away.

On Monday, the March viewing will cost $ 8, which includes unlimited hot chocolate with all the Delta Aquariid meteors coming together and planting the party.

"If you see a meteor Monday, it will be a bonus," said Potter.