3 Meteor Showers To Light Up RI Skies In July: How, When To Watch

RHODE ISLAND — The Perseid meteor shower is underway now, giving skywatchers in the Ocean State good reason to stretch out under the early morning sky and dream while wide awake.

Many parts of the country are suffering under a scorching heat wave, according to the forecast from AccuWeather. In Rhode Island, the National Weather Service's forecast on Thursday and Friday night calls for a chance of rain, which could prove problematic for viewing, but not impossible. Areas further away from the coast should have a little bit of an easier time viewing than those who might be impacted by showers.

The Perseids are only one reason to start scanning the skies over Rhode Island. Here’s reason No. 2: The Delta Aquariid (sometimes spelled Aquarid) meteor shower runs through Aug. 2, peaking July 28-29, with about 20 meteors an hour.

A new moon will mean dark skies, so viewing conditions should be excellent, but keep in mind this shower favors southern latitudes, according to the American Meteor Society.

And here’s reason No. 3: The Alpha Capricornids, which run through Aug. 15 and have a “plateau-like” peak on July 31, may be one of the more underrated meteor showers of the summer. Granted, the American Meteor Society said it is “not very strong,” rarely producing more than five meteors an hour. But you shouldn’t dismiss it, either.

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“What is notable about this shower,” the organization pointed out on its website, “is the number of bright fireballs produced during its activity period.”

Consider both the Delta Aquariids and Capricornids dress rehearsals for the spectacular Perseids. “Summering” doesn’t get better than this.

The best views of the extraordinarily bright Perseids will come at their Aug. 11-13 peak, and you won’t want to miss that. But you should start watching the skies before dawn up until then because the full sturgeon supermoon will compete for attention at the peak.

Skywatchers should still get a good show, though. The Perseids produce about 50 to 100 meteors an hour at the peak, according to NASA. The shower is produced by the comet 109/P Swift-Tuttle, discovered in 1862.

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Like the Alpha Capricornids, the Perseids are known for their fireballs, which are “larger explosions of light and color that can persist longer than an average meteor streak,” NASA said, explaining, “This is due to the fact that fireballs originate from larger particles of cometary material.”

The shower is called the Perseids because its radiant point is located near the prominent constellation of Perseus the hero.

Check back with Patch for more about the Perseids when the peak approaches.