With three different meteor showers happening at the same time this month, there is plenty of chance that Skywatchers will spend their summer nights looking for a shooting star.
The annual Alpha Capriconid, South Delta Aquarido and Perseid Meteor Showers are all currently active, with each celestial show being set to continue until mid-August.
Below are what you need to know about these meteor showers, and how you can find shooting stars.
Alpha Capriconid
The Alpha Capriconid and South Delta Aquaridos will be active overnight at the end of this month, from July 29th to 30th, while Perseids are often considered the most reliable shooting star display, but will rise to peak next month.
According to the American Meteor Society, Skywatchers could encounter almost favourable conditions to take a meteor shower this July.
The Alpha Capricornids Meteor Shower is not usually a powerful display, but can produce many bright fireballs while active. At that height, the meteor shower can produce around five shooting stars per hour in dark sky or clear conditions, according to the American Meteor Society.
The shower receives its name as the meteor appears to be flowing from the Capricorn sign. During this year’s peak, the moon is only 27%, offering people on both sides of the equator a chance to catch a heavenly show.
The Alpha Capriconid meteor shower occurs when Earth passes through clouds of dust particles and debris from 169p/neat, completing one orbit around the Sun every 4.2 years. When fragments of debris hit the planetary atmosphere and vaporize, they create bright stripes of light that leave a bright path.
South Delta Aquarido
The Southern Delta Aquaridos, as its name suggests, is best seen from the Southern Hemisphere. This meteor shower can produce up to 25 meteors per hour under ideal conditions, but shooting stars are usually faint.
According to NASA, the South Delta Aquarido can be difficult to find, but the best chance of the year is early morning hours.
Meteor showers are thought to be caused by a fragment of Comet 96p/Machholz, which completes one orbit around the sun every five years.
Perseid
Finally, the Perseid meteor shower is ongoing and is expected to peak overnight from August 12th to 13th. Perseid is one of the most awaited skywatching events of the year, as meteor showers usually occur during warm summers in the Northern Hemisphere and offers a normally high-cost shooting star. Under ideal conditions, Perseid can generate up to 100 shooting stars per hour.
However, this year, the moon is full of about 84%, washing away meteors and “significantly compromise on this shower during its biggest activities,” according to the American Meteor Association.
“These conditions will reduce activity by at least 75%, as only brighter meteors can be seen,” society said in its forecast.
The Perseid Shower occurs when the Earth passes through clouds of dust particles and debris left behind from a comet known as 109p/Swift-Tuttle.
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