Sky watchers will get a double treat tonight.
Two meteor showers – the Southern Delta Aquariids and the Alpha Capricornids – will peak the night of Wednesday, July 28th into the morning of Thursday, July 29th.
In a typical year, the two would combine for as many as 20 meteors per hour but, according to the American Meteor Society, viewing this year could be hampered by the brightness of the moon, which will be 74% full.
Southern delta Aquariids will be active through Aug. 23 but usually produce faint meteors that lack a persistent train or fireball. The alpha Capricornids, however, is notable for bright fireballs and will produce some through Aug. 15, AMS said.
The best viewing times will be Wednesday night before midnight local time and an hour or two before dawn.
If you do miss seeing the shooting stars Wednesday, don’t worry – a bigger meteor shower is around the corner. The Perseid meteor shower is set to light up the night sky on Aug. 11 into the morning of Aug. 12. That shower can bring up to 100 meteors per hour.
NASA viewing tips
NASA has tips to help you view meteor showers:
- Get as far away from light pollution as possible. If you can, go to a dark area with a clear, unclouded view of the night sky.
- Bring something so you can sit or lie down and look up.
- Don’t use a telescope or binoculars. Instead, let your eyes relax and don’t look in one specific place. Avoid looking at your cell phone or any other light. Both destroy night vision.
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