Two Meteor Showers to Peak This Week
Get ready for celestial fireworks
Two separate meteor showers are set to peak on Wednesday night, providing a skywatching opportunity not to be missed.
The Alpha Capricornids and Southern Delta Aquariids will be visible in the night sky, with the latter being the stronger of the two. The Alpha Capricornids is a significantly weaker shower than the Southern Delta Aquariids, but it can still produce up to five meteors per hour at its peak.
Meteor showers occur when the Earth passes through a cloud of debris left behind by a comet or asteroid. As the debris enters the Earth's atmosphere, it burns up, creating a streak of light in the sky.
The Alpha Capricornids is a minor meteor shower that radiates from the constellation Capricornus. It is active from July 1 to August 15, with its peak on July 30. The Southern Delta Aquariids is a major meteor shower that radiates from the constellation Aquarius. It is active from July 12 to August 23, with its peak on July 29.
To get the best view of the meteor showers, find a dark location away from light pollution. Lie down on a blanket or lawn chair and look up at the sky. Give your eyes about 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness, and you should start to see meteors streaking across the sky.
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