Stargazers will want to take note, as the Southern Delta Aquariids meteor shower and the Alpha Capricornids meteor shower are both set to peak this week.
According to the American Meteor Society, the galactic light shows both arrived earlier this month but will begin to peak this week. The larger Delta Aquariids meteor shower arrived July 18 and will be visible through Aug. 21, but will peak this year between July 29 and July 30.
The smaller Alpha Capricornids are active from July 7 through Aug. 15 and will have a “plateau-like” peak on July 31, the society shared.
The Delta Aquariids are visible in North America’s late summer every year and this year’s peak will come early Tuesday morning, with an expected 15 to 20 meteors being visible every hour under dark skies.
“In 2024, moonlight will be a minor factor from the waning crescent moon, which rises in the early morning hours. If the moon is above your horizon when viewing this shower, simply view more toward the southwestern sky,” the society shared.
While the show will be visible in the Northern Hemisphere, the American Meteor Society says the Southern Hemisphere will have an even better view.
The Alpha Capricornids is a smaller meteor shower but will still produce around five meteors per hour at around the same time.
Despite being smaller in size, the society shares that the Alpha Capricornids will still put on a show.
“What is notable about this shower is the number of bright fireballs produced during its activity period,” it said.
After this week’s meteor showers, the next major one will be the Perseids, which peaks around mid-August and is considered by NASA as the “best meteor shower of the year.” In total, 50 to 100 meteors can be seen per hour when conditions are best.