They aren’t the most well-known displays of shooting stars, but two meteor showers are predicted to make an appearance this weekend across your night sky.
“The Southern Delta Aquarids and Alpha Capricornids will peak simultaneously centered around the night of Sunday, July 30, into the early morning of Monday, July 31,” said AccuWeather meteorologist Brian Lada.
The nearly full “sturgeon” moon could spoil some of the fun, however, as the moon’s brightness might interfere with meteor viewing, according to the American Meteor Society.
For the best chance at spotting shooting stars, experts recommend viewing the meteor showers after 3 a.m., local time, when the moon sets, Lada said.
Alpha Capricornids can be ‘quite spectacular’
Though few in number, the Alpha Capricornids frequently produce slow, bright yellow, fireball-class meteors that can be quite spectacular, said Space.com’s Joe Rao. “They can be especially stunning for northern observers because of their long trails, owing to their low radiant elevation.”
The American Meteor Society agrees with this, saying that “what is notable about this shower is the number of bright fireballs produced during its activity period.”
However, overall, the AMS said “this shower is not very strong and rarely produces in excess of five shower members per hour.”
Though the Alpha Capricornids peak Sunday night, they will remain active through mid-August.
Southern Delta Aquarids are best seen from southern tropics
The Southern Delta Aquarids are best seen from the southern tropics, the AMS said.
Here in the U.S., the AMS said, “these are usually faint meteors that lack both persistent trains and fireballs.”
Rao confirms this, saying that “most shower members are medium speed and faint, but occasional brighter events do happen, although only about 5-10% show persistent trains.”
Will the weather cooperate for stargazing Sunday night?
Favorable weather is forecast Sunday night and early Monday morning from the Gulf Coast to the Northeast, Lada said. “Mainly cloud-free conditions are also in the forecast for the Pacific Northwest, Northern and Central California and parts of the Plains,” Lada said.
Weather will be more problematic for stargazers across the Rocky Mountains, Desert Southwest and areas of the Midwest, where cloudy conditions will obscure the sky throughout most of the night, he reported.
