Southern Delta Aquariids and the Alpha Capricornids reach their peak tonight and tomorrow July 30th. They produce up to 20 to 30 meteors per hour! Most of us can't see them because we live with so much light pollution. But in a dozen or so cities on the East coast like Baltimore, Jacksonville, Montreal, Baltimore, New York City, Washington, D.C., Boston and Philadelphia have very expensive telescopes set up on some sidewalks so people can actually see this.
Dr Michael O’Shea and Viva Dadwal set up a telescope in Ottawa’s ByWard Market back in 2014. They wanted people to experience the thrill of celestial wonders. The overwhelming reaction they received led them to launch #Popscope. #Popscope has now held 500 pop-up events and reached 26-thousand people across North America.
Co-founder Michael O’Shea says that the effort is fueled by volunteers who enjoy seeing the reactions of people viewing the sky through a telescope for the first time. The group also values the conversations and friendships that frequently form around the telescopes.
The group hopes to make astronomy more accessible and foster wonder in communities that may not typically engage with science institutions. We hope this leads to people who may have never previously considered a career in the STEM field to take a look at it.
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