Delta Aquariids, Alpha Capricornids Share Peak Dates: When To Look Up

ACROSS AMERICA — Fans of meteor showers have a doubleheader this week with two shooting star shows — the Delta Aquariids and the Alpha Capricornids — peaking early Tuesday and Wednesday, weather conditions permitting.

Add to that the potential for northern lights displays across a wide swath of North America with intensifying geomagnetic storms, and this week could be one of the best of the summer for skywatchers.

The Delta Aquariids are expected to be the MVP in this shooting star show doubleheader, with about 15 or 20 meteors an hour visible under a dark sky. The Alpha Capricornids produce about five meteors an hour at their “plateau-like” peak on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Perseid meteors are flying, too. The annual summertime favorite started in mid-July and is usually a prolific meteor shower, producing anywhere from 50 to 100 hours at the peak, which occurs Aug. 11-12 this year. This show, in particular, is known for producing fireballs — larger explosions of light and color that are brighter than typical meteors and whose “tails” last longer than typical meteor streaks.

The Perseids don’t have the market cornered in the potential to dazzle skygazers. The Alpha Capricornids often produce very bright meteors, University of Warwick astronomer Don Pollacco told The Associated Press.

For meteor shower lovers, “one bright one is worth 20 faint ones,” he said.

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Most meteor showers originate from the debris of comets. The source of the Delta Aquariids is thought to be from the comet 96P/Machholz. The Alpha Capricornids originate from the comet 169P/NEAT.

When rocks from space enter Earth’s atmosphere, the resistance from the air makes them very hot. This causes the air to glow around them and briefly leaves a fiery tail behind them — the end of a shooting star.

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The glowing pockets of air around fast-moving space rocks, ranging from the size of a dust particle to a boulder, may be visible in the night sky.

The best time to view meteors is between midnight and the predawn areas. Get as far away from city lights as possible, and give your eyes 20 or 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness. Also, put your phone away.

“It runs your night vision,” NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke told The AP.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.