Sky Briefing #011 — Meteor Season, Farnborough and the Narrower Atlantic
Six days until the Delta Aquariids turn active. Anyone flying south this week — to Nairobi, São Paulo, Johannesburg — will be crossing meteor territory from next week without knowing it. Farnborough opens in two weeks, the first major aerospace trade show since 2024. And the A321XLR is quietly rewriting which city pairs can connect nonstop across the Atlantic.
Skies
The Delta Aquariids start July 12: southern routes get the better sky. Active from July 12, peak July 28–30 before sunrise. Zenith hourly rate at peak: roughly 25. The radiant sits in Aquarius, which is why the shower is best seen from the Southern Hemisphere. Flying to southern Africa, Brazil, or Australia: window on the south-facing side, one hour before sunrise. On north Atlantic routes, wait until August. EarthSky — Meteor Shower Guide
The Perseids open July 17: ZHR 100, peak August 11–12. The most-watched meteor shower of the year, debris trail of comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. Early meteors possible from July 17; the real peak falls the morning of August 12, before dawn. The radiant is in Perseus, in the northeast sky. North Atlantic and North Pacific overnight flights have the best view. Window on the north side, eyes adjusted 10 to 15 minutes. NASA — Perseids
Aviation
Farnborough opens July 20: the first major aerospace show since 2024. The Farnborough International Airshow returns. Airbus and Boeing will compete for the same buyers, with the narrowbody replacement question at the center: the aircraft that must replace aging 737 and A320 generations by the late 2030s. What gets signed at the show shapes routes you will fly five to seven years from now. The orders are the headline; the delivery slots are the news. Farnborough International Airshow
The A321XLR is opening Atlantic routes no widebody would fly. Nearly 20 months after its first commercial flight, the A321XLR is in service with Iberia and several European carriers. It makes direct transatlantic connections possible where a 300-seat jet would never be economical: thinner markets, smaller airports, new nonstop options. Range: 8,700 km. Cabin: narrowbody, no lie-flat in most configurations. For anyone who puts nonstop above everything else: the network is growing. Airbus — A321XLR
because you need to know which side of the plane to sit on when the first meteors fall next week.