The Delta Aquarids go back a long way for me. During the summer of 1963 I was a patient at the Jewish National Home for Asthmatic Children. Although visits home were not generally permitted, I was allowed to return home briefly to see the July 20, 1963 total eclipse of the Sun. While in Montreal I took advantage of the clear, hazy sky to enjoy my first Delta Aquarid observing session on July 26. In a little over two hours of observation I saw three meteors from the light polluted sky of a big metropolitan area. The next year at the Adirondack Science Camp, our team observed 13 meteors in about six hours of observation. Our night was a casual one. The count was so low because we were doing other forms of observing at the same time.

July and August are especially good months for meteor observing. As you can see in Chapter 19, several minor showers compete for attention. While the chances that, while outdoors on a July evening, you might see a meteor from a particular minor shower are low, the chances that you'll see one from any shower are substantial. Toward the end of July, two major showers awaken at almost the same time.