Southern delta-Aquariids 2027

The peak falls on Saturday 31 July 2027 at 19:45 UTC, with the Moon 4% lit — a dark sky — the Moon is close to new and takes almost nothing away.

Peak instant
Moon at peak
4% lit, waning crescent
Active
11 July 2027 – 23 August 2027
Zenithal hourly rate
25
Radiant declination
−16.1°
Rank for Moon in 2027
2 of 12

What 2027 actually offers

Of the twelve showers on this site, 1 peaks under a darker Moon in 2027. The darkest peak of the year belongs to the eta-Aquariids, with the Moon 0% lit. Moonlight does not remove meteors, it removes the faint ones: with a population index of 3.2, every magnitude of extra sky brightness divides the count you see by 3.2.

The radiant passes overhead at 16.1°S and never rises at all north of 73.9°N. That geometry does not change from year to year, so if this shower does not work from your latitude, no amount of moonless sky will fix it — check the latitude table before making plans around the date.

What is not knowable this far out is cloud. Numerical forecasts are useful inside about three days and steadily less so beyond that, which is why the verdict for a specific night is computed on the night from your own coordinates rather than published in advance.

The Moon across the whole activity window

Moon illumination during the Southern delta-Aquariids activity window in 2027 Percentage of the Moon's disc illuminated, sampled twice a day from 11 July 2027 to 23 August 2027. The dashed line marks the shower's peak on 31 July 2027, when the Moon is 4% lit. 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% peak 11 Jul 20 Jul 29 Jul 6 Aug 15 Aug 23 Aug Moon lit (%)
Illuminated fraction of the Moon through the 12 July – 23 August activity window. A dip well away from the peak is a night the shower is still active and the sky is still dark — often a better trade than the peak itself.

The week around the peak

Moon illumination on each date at 00:00 UTC. Rate falls away either side of the peak, so a much darker sky two nights out is only worth taking when the activity window is broad — this one runs 12 July – 23 August.

Date Weekday Moon lit Phase
28 July 2027 Wednesday 36% last quarter
29 July 2027 Thursday 26% waning crescent
30 July 2027 Friday 17% waning crescent
31 July 2027 peak Saturday 9% waning crescent
1 August 2027 Sunday 3% new Moon
2 August 2027 Monday 0% new Moon
3 August 2027 Tuesday 1% new Moon

Get reminded before the 2027 peak

One email seven days before a peak so you can keep the night free, and one on the evening itself with the verdict for your location. If your sky is going to be hopeless that night, the second email tells you the next good night instead of pretending otherwise.

You will get a confirmation email first — nothing is sent until you click the link in it. Every email carries a one-click unsubscribe. We store your address, the rounded coordinates and your time zone, and nothing else. See the privacy notice.

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