07/26/2013 – Ephemeris – South Delta Aquarid meteors at peak, but look for the Perseids
Ephemeris for Friday, July 26th. The sun rises at 6:22. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 51 minutes, setting at 9:14. The moon, 3 days before last quarter, will rise at 11:13 this evening.
We are now reaching the peak of the South Delta Aquarid meteor shower, which is hampered by the waning gibbous moon in the morning sky, where it’s visible. This is also the time to begin to look for the Perseid meteors that will reach peak next month on the morning of the 12th. The Perseids are an all night meteor shower because the radiant point, the point from which the meteors seem to come is far enough north so it never sets. The largest number of meteors appear when the radiant is highest in the sky, before dawn. However as soon as it gets dark the low position of the radiant in the northeast will result in fewer meteors but the streaks will be longer, as the meteoroids hit the atmosphere at a low angle.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
South Delta Aquarid meteor shower at peak and Persieds firing up at 1 a.m. July 27, 2013. PerR and DAqR are the radiants.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 
Hi! We moved to Traverse City from a farm in Indiana. We used to get a great view of the Perseid meteor shower because our farm was so far out in the country. But now that we live in TC the lights ruin the show. Could you recommend a couple good places to see them from up here? Would the beach at the Old Mission Lighthouse be a good spot? Any other ideas?
The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will be at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore the evening of the 10th, and at the Leelanau State Park on the 11th. The dunes are especially nice, since they don’t have yard or street lights. The Old Mission light house beach may be nice, though I’ve never been out there at night.
Clear Skies.
Bob