Meteors and a Blue Moon Compete for Attention

This skychart shows the Delta Aqaurid meteor shower radiant in the constellation Aquarius, which is now visible above the bright star Formalhaut in the southeast late night skies. 

 The annual Delta Aquarids meteor shower is at its peak. The night of July 30 into the pre-dawn hours on July 31 will be a great time to watch for shooting stars, and the Aquarids are something of a pre-game show to the iconic and much bigger Perseid meteor shower that will arrive in mid-August.
But another celestial phenomenon may make catching the show a bit tough.
On Friday, July 31 the second full moon of the month will rise into Earth’s skies—the first was July 2. The near-full moon at the time of the meteor shower’s peak will make viewing challenging as the fainter shooting stars will be washed out by the lunar glare.
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