Good news, stargazers! Two meteor showers are set to peak on the night of July 30 and in the early hours of July 31. The Delta Aquariids and the Alpha Capricornids are peaking together this year. It’s a unique opportunity to see two meteor showers at once.
The Delta Aquariid meteor shower
The Delta Aquariids meteor shower occurs every year from mid-July to mid-August. They are named after the constellation Aquarius, from which they seem to originate. They are known for producing long and slow meteor streaks but are comparably fainter, thus requiring a dark sky to observe.
You can see around 15–20 meteors per hour during peak time. The parent body of the Delta Aquarid meteor shower is comet 96P/Machholz.
The Alpha Capricornid meteor shower
The Alpha Capricornid meteor shower occurs every year from mid-July to mid-August. They are named after the constellation Capricornus, from which they seem to originate. They are known for producing bright fireballs, setting them apart from average meteors.
However, they produce only about 5–10 meteors per hour during the peak. But, for a stargazer, one bright meteor is much more pleasant than many faint meteors. The parent body of the Alpha Capricornid meteor shower is comet 169P/NEAT.
Why is this year special?
This year, the Peaks of Delta Aquarids and the Alpha Capricornids are on the same night. This doesn’t happen every year. This also means you can experience more meteors on the same night.
This meteor shower is a warmup for the upcoming major meteor shower, ‘The Perseids meteor shower‘, which tends to produce around 110 meteors per hour and is one of the most anticipated meteor showers of the year that peaks around mid-August.
The radiant point of this meteor shower lies in the constellation Perseus, near the constellation Cassiopeia. The Perseids originate from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.
