The summer sky will light up later this month as two meteor showers, the Southern delta Aquariids and alpha Capricornids, are set to peak on the same night.
The alpha Capricornids, which are produced by the comet 169P/NEAT, are currently in full swing, according to NASA. The Southern delta Aquariids, which are produced by the comet P/2008 Y12, will begin on July 18.
Skygazers will be treated with the two showers converging on the night of July 29 and into early July 30, according to the American Meteorological Society.
The night sky is illuminated by a meteor shower on July 28, 2022 in Sydney, Australia.
(Saverio Marfia / Getty Images)
The Southern delta Aquariids are a strong shower that will produce about 20 meteors per hour during its peak, the AMS said. The alpha Capricornids will not produce as many, reaching only about 5 meteors per hour, but the meteors that will be visible will be quite bright.
The Southern delta Aquariids, as their same suggests, will be most visible from the Southern Hemisphere, particularly from the southern tropics. However, the AMS notes that they will still be visible to those in the Northern Hemisphere looking toward the southern skies.
Luckily for skygazers, the alpha Capicornids will be equally visible to those on both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the AMS added.
This image composite shows 14 bright meteors seen from Huntsville, Alabama on July 30, 2014. It features the Southern Delta Aquariids, Alpha Capricornids and the Perseids.
(NASA/MSFC/MEO / NASA)
Views of the fireballs are expected to be clear on the dark night sky – weather permitting, of course – as the Moon will only be 27% full. This means the brightness of our lunar satellite will not detract from the brightness of the Southern delta Aquariids and alpha Capicornids.
