Double meteor shower to peak this week: When and where to best see the shooting stars

Two meteor showers will peak at the same time in the early morning hours on Wednesday, a relatively uncommon astronomical occurrence caused by the Earth’s orbit passing through two comets’ debris trails.

The Southern Delta Aquariid and the Alpha Capricornid showers have both been active since July 18 and July 12, respectively, but will peak late Tuesday night, around midnight, and continue into the early hours of Wednesday morning.

These two showers combined could produce up to 20 to 30 meteors per hour, Nick Moskovitz, a planetary astronomer with the Lowell Observatory, estimates, according to NPR.

Here’s what to know about how to prepare for this summer’s double meteor shower.

What is a meteor shower?

Meteorites are falling pieces of debris from comets, asteroids or meteoroids that land on Earth every day, according to NASA. When the material starts to vaporize in Earth’s atmosphere, its trail can be visible to people on Earth. This is what we call “shooting stars.”

A meteor shower is what happens when there is a higher-than-usual number of meteors falling in a short period of time.

What to know about the Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower

The Southern Delta Aquariid shower has been active since July 18, but its peak will be late at night on July 29 until the early morning hours on July 30, NASA reported. It will remain active until about Aug. 12 and is best seen in the Southern Hemisphere.

The meteor shower gets its name from the constellation Aquarius, which is where the shower originates, and the third brightest star in that constellation, which is the Delta Aquarii, Space.com reports.

What to know about the Alpha Capricornid meteor shower

The Alpha Capricornid shower is “not very strong,” according to the American Meteor Society, and rarely showcases more than five meteors per hour. It has been active since July 12 and will stay active until Aug. 12.

What is notable about the Alpha Capricornid shower is that it produces bright, slow-moving fireballs during its activity, which will be visible during its peak on July 29 and July 30.

How to watch the meteor showers

No special equipment is necessary to watch the meteor showers, but NASA does recommend that viewers try to get as far away from city lights as possible and put away their phones.

“In less than 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will begin to see meteors,” NASA says. “Be patient — the show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse.”

The best time to try to see the showers will be in the early hours on July 30, after midnight, astronomer Moskovitz told NPR. Stargazers in North America should try to find the best view of the southern part of the sky, specifically for the Southern Delta Aquariid shower, Moskovitz added.

The moon is another light source that can sometimes make it hard to see meteor showers from Earth, especially if it’s fully visible. Fortunately for stargazers, the moon will be in a Waxing Crescent Phase through Thursday night this week, which means it will be about 25% full, according to Astronomy magazine, so it should not impact the showers’ visibility.