Two meteor showers will peak on Thursday. How to watch the Southern Delta Aquariids and the Alpha Capricornids.

Two meteor showers will simultaneously dazzle the night sky this week, caused by Earth's orbit passing through the debris trails of two comets.

The Alpha Capricornids and Southern Delta Aquariids are both forecast to peak on Thursday, July 30, according to the American Meteor Society (AMS). 

The Alpha Capricornid and the Southern Delta Aquariid showers have both been active since July 7 and July 19, respectively, but will peak late Thursday night, around midnight, and continue into the early hours of Friday morning.

Under completely dark skies, which are the most ideal viewing conditions, the Southern Delta Aquariids can produce roughly 25 meteors per hour, while the Alpha Capricornids usually produce around five meteors per hour, according to National Geographic.

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 12, but its peak will come late at night on July 30 and continue into the early morning hours on July 31, the AMS reports. It will remain active until about Aug. 23 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, NASA says.

What to know about the Alpha Capricornid meteor shower

The Alpha Capricornid shower is "not very strong," according to the AMS, and rarely showcases more than five meteors per hour. It has been active since July 3 and will stay active until Aug. 15.

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 30 through early July 31. 

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 view these meteor showers is after midnight, according to the AMS. NASA says that for stargazers in the northern hemisphere, the best views of the Southern Delta Aquariids are in locations closer to the equator, like the southern U.S. states. For states farther north, dark skies with open views of the southern horizon are best.

Read more from Yahoo Travel: 5 spectacular places in the U.S. to watch the Perseids meteor shower this summer

The moon is another light source that can sometimes make it hard to see meteor showers from Earth, especially if it's fully visible. This month's full moon is on July 29, which means the moon will be 98% illuminated during the peak of the meteor shower the following night, according to Astronomy magazine. The glare from the moon will brighten the night sky, which will obscure the fainter meteors, but patient skywatchers could spot some of the signature fireballs from the Alpha Capricornids.