Back-to-Back Summer Meteor Showers to Glitter Up The Night Sky Late July—Expect Amazing Sights

A meteor shower seen over Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, in 2016. (Ethan Miller via Getty Images)

The nights in July are short and pleasant and also the best time of year for meteor spotting. If that appeals to you, be joyous.

Mid-July now carries us into peak summer meteor season, ending a yearly meteor drought of over two months.

In less than two weeks, astronomers expect back-to-back meteor showers—the Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids—both dueling in the skies at the same time within the other’s range, such that you may even see shots of light crossing paths. It’s an astrophotographer’s dream come true.

Right on their coattails, possibly overlapping as they bid their yearly adieu, a third and even more dramatic deluge of cosmic dust is due to descend early August, the Perseids, widely considered the best meteor shower of the year.

Here are some facts about the cosmic bonanza in store.

Meteor showers are notoriously unpredictable in their particulars, in terms of their exact volume and timing, etc., yet their arrival in peak season is impeccably punctual. You can plan your calendar by it. The Delta Aquariids will peak from July 29 to 30, and the Alpha Capricornids from July 30 to 31, coinciding with each other exactly.

A Perseid meteor shower seen over Corfe Castle, UK, in 2016. (Dan Kitwood via Getty Images)

AccuWeather reports that we can expect to see around 20 meteors per hour at their height, but, again, they are hard to predict. And there will probably be many in the days leading up to and after peak season, because July meteors tend to ramble on steadily till early August.

In August, the Perseids will hit their height from August 11 to 12, but that does not discount seeing many earlier or later. This famous shower may present up to 100 meteors per hour at peak.

What Are Meteors?

A meteor begins as a hunk of space debris. Bits of frozen gas, rock, and cosmic dust, drift along vast and ancient complexes throughout space. People on Earth noticed over the centuries in certain calendar periods we see shots of light—or shooting stars—darting here and there at night, and astronomers discovered they were debris colliding with Earth on its orbit while transiting through that matter.

When these bits of space debris strike Earth’s atmosphere, they fry up in a fiery streak until they burn out. Astronomers became familiar with these dust complexes. Now, we know where they are, when to expect shooting stars, and even where that debris originates from: They are crumbs left by comets.

Not all meteor showers are created equal. The Delta Aquariids and the Alpha Capricornids are among a pantheon of showers across the calendar year. They rank less amazing in the “wow” department next to others, yet the balmy nights in July plus the month’s two-showers-for-the-price-of-one make summer watching worth it.

While the Delta Aquariids are rich in faint meteors, produced by smaller particles, about 5 to 10 percent of them leave blistering trails of glowing gas, called persistent trains, that last several seconds after passing. The Alpha Capricornids tend to yield a good number of slow-moving, bright, and colorful meteors, according to the Society for Popular Astronomy.

Slowness and fastness are relative when speaking of shooting stars. The “slower” Alpha Capricornids move at a blazing 15 miles per second on average. The Delta Aquariids manage a medium velocity of over 25 miles per second.

Where Do They Come From?

We see a shooting star and we make a wish. But how many of us wonder where in the heavens they come from? We can faithfully count on meteors to add a sprinkle to our skies every late July. Just as faithfully, we can pinpoint the invisible dot where they shoot from on a map of stars.

Their very names bespeak of stars. The Delta Aquariids seem to radiate from a point in the constellation Aquarius, hence the name Aquariids. The Alpha Capricornids’ point to a place near Capricornus—just a slight few degrees south of Aquarius—hence Capricornids.

A meteor shower photographed from Burg auf Fehmarn on the Baltic Sea island of Fehmarn, northern Germany. (DANIEL REINHARDT via Getty Images)

The point from which a meteor shower seems to radiate is called a radiant. Both radiants will rise from the direction between south to south-southeast.

What the radiant does not reveal, however, is where to look for them. Astronomers advise not to look at the radiant itself but elsewhere, observing as much night sky as possible. The reason for this is simple:

Meteors flying straight from the radiant to your eye will approach at an angle not greater than zero. Would you say it’s easier to spot a pin from the side rather than head-on? Incoming meteors with an angle greater than zero, say 45 degrees, will streak by and show their long flanks. So you will see a light shard instead of a pinhead. And it could appear anywhere across the sky, but not on the radiant.

With both radiants so close together, it might be tough to tell a Capricornid apart from an Aquariid. They might even cross paths with each other. With enough savvy and technology one might retrace them to their respective radiants, or guestimate their identity based on how “slow” or “fast” they are—but easier said than done.

In late July, search the sky from late evening till midnight. Normally, the best hours for spotting meteors is predawn (from midnight till just before dawn twilight), but because of light pollution from the waning gibbous moon, astronomers say viewing before the midnight moonrise is best.

Although nights are shorter in July and meteors less than superlative, summertime is unbeatable for your meteor viewing enjoyment.

Just remember to make a wish!

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