This week, a doubleheader meteor shower will illuminate the sky. Here's how to view it.
On Tuesday morning, the Delta Aquariids will have a rate of 15 to 20 meteors per hour.
- This week, skywatchers can witness a double meteor shower event featuring the Southern Delta Aquariid and Alpha Capricornid meteor showers.
- In the Northern Hemisphere, the Delta Aquariids will peak on Tuesday morning with a rate of 15 to 20 meteors per hour.
- The Alpha Capricornid meteor shower is predicted to generate approximately five meteors per hour around the same time.
Get ready for a meteor shower doubleheader.
In late July, the Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower will peak, and it will coincide with a second smaller meteor shower, the Alpha Capricornids.
The Delta Aquariids shower takes place annually in North America during late summer. This year, the peak activity occurs early Tuesday morning, with an estimated 15 to 20 meteors per hour visible in the Northern Hemisphere under dark skies. The shower lasts until August 21, as per the American Meteor Society. Viewing in the Southern Hemisphere is expected to be even better.
The Alpha Capricornid meteor shower is expected to occur around the same time, with approximately five meteors per hour, and will continue until August 15.
The Delta Aquariids and other meteor showers are fascinating celestial events that occur in the constellation Aquarius.
What is a meteor shower?
Numerous meteor showers take place each year and you don't require any special apparatus to observe them.
The Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids are believed to have originated from comets 96P/Machholz and 169P/NEAT, respectively.
As rocks from outer space enter Earth's atmosphere, the air's resistance heats them up, causing the air to emit light and leaving a short-lived fiery trail behind them, marking the end of a "shooting star."
Fast-moving space rocks ranging from a dust particle to a boulder may have glowing pockets of air visible in the night sky.
The Alpha Capricornids meteor shower is known for producing very bright meteors, according to University of Warwick astronomer Don Pollacco.
"One bright star is worth 20 faint ones," he said for skygazers.
How can I view a meteor shower?
Meteor showers are usually most visible between midnight and predawn hours.
Under cloudless nights, when the moon wanes smallest, meteor showers appear brightest, and shooting stars are easier to see away from city lights.
According to NASA's Bill Cooke, using your phone ruins your night vision.
The clearest view of Delta Aquariids will be seen in the Southern Hemisphere, coinciding with a waning moon around 30% full, which will occur after midnight.
When is the next meteor shower?
The society of meteors maintains a current record of impending significant meteor showers, including the peak days for observation and the state of the moonlight.
The next major meteor shower will be the Perseids, peaking in mid-August.
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