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Time Magazine
6 hours ago
- Science
- Time Magazine
Two Meteor Showers Are Peaking Tonight. Here's How to See Them
Two meteor showers will hit their peak visibility on Tuesday night, lighting the skies in glowing streaks into the following morning. The Southern Delta Aquariids and the Alpha Capricornids will be active until just Aug. 12th. Tonight marks a particularly good time to look up at the starry sky and catch them, however, as the moon will only be 27% full, increasing the visibility for the showers. The cosmic phenomena are precursors to the Perseids shower, considered the 'best meteor shower of the year' according to NASA. That shower is due to hit its peak in just a few weeks, though its visibility could be affected by the moon. Meteor showers are caused by the entrance of cosmic debris into the Earth's atmosphere at elevated speeds. They are best viewed on a clear night. Here's what to know. What are the Southern Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids? The Southern Delta Aquariids are a meteor shower typically active for a few weeks starting from mid-July. The shower travels at a velocity of 25 miles per second, according to the American Meteor Society (AMS) and is best seen by those living further south. They are typically difficult to spot due to their faint light, NASA reports, and most visible when the moon is not out. The Alpha Capricornids are not a particularly strong shower, and rarely have more than 5 meteors per hour. However, they are remarkable because those that are visible often have bright fireballs. 'If you are looking for that one spectacular event to happen during a watch session, an Alpha Capricornid may be the one that gets you the most excited,' Nick Moskovitz, an astronomer with the Lowell Observatory in Arizona told NPR. That shower will be well seen by those on either side of the equator, according to the American Meteor Society (AMS). It also travels more slowly, sailing through the sky at a velocity of 14 miles per second. When and where can you see them best? Meteor showers are best seen after midnight, according to the AMS, as the darker night makes them easier to spot. That means the moon's peak also affects visibility: If the moon is more than one half illuminated when meteor showers peak, they will be difficult to observe. Onlookers should also move away from the big city to avoid pollution and other light sources interfering with their view. The Southern Delta Aquariids will be best seen in the early morning hours, AMS reports. The organization says that showers can best be spotted some 30 degrees away from their radiant—the point where meteors appear to come from. The radiant point of the Southern Delta Aquariids is located within the Aquarius constellation, while the Alpha Capricornids' is in the Capricornus constellation. Both are in the southern part of the sky, meaning those hoping to view the showers should move to a location with an unobstructed view of that area. Those who miss the two meteor showers can still try to observe the Perseids shower, which will hit its peak on August 12-13.
CNN
8 hours ago
- Science
- CNN
Where to see the meteor showers this week
Sky-gazers may get a good chance to see fireballs streak across the night sky this week. Two meteor showers — the Alpha Capricornids and Southern Delta Aquariids — will reach their peak and another is ramping up. The Alpha Capricornids meteor shower, which is best known for producing very bright meteors called fireballs that may look like shooting stars, will be most visible at 1 a.m. ET Wednesday, according to Robert Lunsford, fireball report coordinator for the American Meteor Society. Its radiant — the point at which the meteor streaks seem to originate — is in the Capricorn constellation. The Alpha Capricornids are visible all over the world but are usually best seen from the Southern Hemisphere, in places such as Australia and Africa, according to Bill Cooke, the lead for NASA's Meteoroid Environments Office. These meteors are expected to appear at a rate of three to five per hour. If you are viewing from the Northern Hemisphere, keep your eyes low along the southern sky to catch a glimpse. If you stay up later, you'll be able to see the Southern Delta Aquariids reach peak activity at 3 a.m. ET on Wednesday, said Lunsford. The Southern Delta Aquariids, which also are most visible in the Southern Hemisphere, make for a stronger shower than the Capricornids; people located in parts of the Northern Hemisphere such as the US can expect to view up to 10 to 15 meteors per hour, while those in the Southern Hemisphere may see 20 to 25 per hour. The Aquariids appear to stream from the southern part of the Aquarius constellation, which is around 40 degrees east of the Capricorn constellation, according to Lunsford: 'They're going to kind of do a battle, shooting back and forth at each other.' Both showers will be visible through August 13, though there is some disagreement about the date on which their peaks will occur. While experts at the American Meteor Society say peak activity will occur Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning, those at NASA say it will happen Wednesday night going into Thursday. 'The time of a meteor shower peak is not constant from year-to-year. It can vary by plus or minus a day or two,' Cooke said. But missing the peak, according to Lunsford, is nothing to fret about. 'It's not a real sharp peak …You can go out (on) the 31st or the 29th and see pretty much the same activity.' For the best viewing, avoid areas with bright lights and objects that could obscure your view of the sky, such as tall trees or buildings. Picking a spot with a higher altitude, like a mountain or hill, may make it easier to spot these showers. According to Cook, having multiple meteor showers occur at the same time is a common phenomenon. 'For example, during the Perseids, you have the remnants of the Southern Delta Aquariids going on,' he said. Right now, the Alpha Capricornids, the Southern Delta Aquariids and Perseids are all active and while the Perseids is not at its peak , you might still see some of its meteors this week. There's also the possibility of seeing 10 to 12 meteors that aren't associated with any of these showers, according to Lunsford. Both the Alpha Capricornids and Southern Delta Aquariids become visible annually when Earth passes through debris fields left by two Jupiter-family comets: 169P/NEAT (Alpha Capricornids) and P2008/Y12 (Southern Delta Aquariids). Cook also noted that, each year, 'we're passing closer to the core of the material that produces (the Alpha Capricornids) shower and in 200 years, it'll be the strongest shower that's visible from Earth. It'll actually produce more than 1,000 (meteor streaks) an hour, which is quite a bit stronger than it is now.' For those interested in contributing to astronomers' understanding of meteors, this week presents the perfect opportunity to count how many meteors you see in the night sky and report them to places like the American Meteor Society. Here are the other meteor showers to anticipate in 2025 and their peak dates, according to the American Meteor Society and EarthSky. Perseids: August 12-13 Draconids: October 8-9 Orionids: October 22-23 Southern Taurids: November 3-4 Northern Taurids: November 8-9 Leonids: November 16-17 Geminids: December 12-13 Ursids: December 21-22 Look out for five more full moons this year, with supermoons occurring in October, November and December. Here's the list of full moons remaining in 2025, according to the Farmers' Almanac: August 9: Sturgeon moon September 7: Corn moon October 6: Harvest moon November 5: Beaver moon December 4: Cold moon Two eclipse events will occur as summer ends. A total lunar eclipse will be visible in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, parts of eastern South America, Alaska and Antarctica on September 7 and 8, according to Time and Date. A lunar eclipse occurs when Earth passes exactly between the sun and the moon, throwing the latter into shadow and making it appear darker or dimmed. When the moon sits in the darkest part of Earth's shadow, the sun's rays bend around Earth and refract light on the moon's surface, which gives it a reddish hue, according to London's Natural History Museum. Some people call the result a 'blood moon.' Two weeks after the total lunar eclipse, a partial solar eclipse will be visible in parts of Australia, the Atlantic, the Pacific and Antarctica on September 21. Solar eclipses occur when the moon moves between the sun and Earth, blocking part of the sun's surface from view, according to NASA. This creates a crescent shape — as if something took a 'bite' out of the sun. Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.
CNN
8 hours ago
- Science
- CNN
Where to see the meteor showers this week
Astronomy Federal agenciesFacebookTweetLink Follow Sky-gazers may get a good chance to see fireballs streak across the night sky this week. Two meteor showers —the Alpha Capricornids and Southern Delta Aquariids — will reach their peak and another is ramping up. The Alpha Capricornids meteor shower, which is best known for producing very bright meteors called fireballs that may look like shooting stars, will be most visible at 1 a.m. ET Wednesday, according to Robert Lunsford, fireball report coordinator for the American Meteor Society. Its radiant — the point at which the meteor streaks seem to originate — is in the Capricorn constellation. The Alpha Capricornids are visible all over the world but are usually best seen from the Southern Hemisphere, in places such as Australia and Africa, according to Bill Cooke, the lead for NASA's Meteoroid Environments Office. These meteors are expected to appear at a rate of three to five per hour. If you are viewing from the Northern Hemisphere, keep your eyes low along the southern sky to catch a glimpse. If you stay up later, you'll be able to see the Southern Delta Aquariids reach peak activity at 3 a.m. ET on Wednesday, said Lunsford. The Southern Delta Aquariids, which also are most visible in the Southern Hemisphere, make for a stronger shower than the Capricornids; people located in parts of the Northern Hemisphere such as the US can expect to view up to 10 to 15 meteors per hour, while those in the Southern Hemisphere may see 20 to 25 per hour. The Aquariids appear to stream from the southern part of the Aquarius constellation, which is around 40 degrees east of the Capricorn constellation, according to Lunsford: 'They're going to kind of do a battle, shooting back and forth at each other.' Both showers will be visible through August 13, though there is some disagreement about the date on which their peaks will occur. While experts at the American Meteor Society say peak activity will occur Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning, those at NASA say it will happen Wednesday night going into Thursday. 'The time of a meteor shower peak is not constant from year-to-year. It can vary by plus or minus a day or two,' Cooke said. But missing the peak, according to Lunsford, is nothing to fret about. 'It's not a real sharp peak …You can go out (on) the 31st or the 29th and see pretty much the same activity.' For the best viewing, avoid areas with bright lights and objects that could obscure your view of the sky, such as tall trees or buildings. Picking a spot with a higher altitude, like a mountain or hill, may make it easier to spot these showers. According to Cook, having multiple meteor showers occur at the same time is a common phenomenon. 'For example, during the Perseids, you have the remnants of the Southern Delta Aquariids going on,' he said. Right now, the Alpha Capricornids, the Southern Delta Aquariids and Perseids are all active and while the Perseids is not at its peak , you might still see some of its meteors this week. There's also the possibility of seeing 10 to 12 meteors that aren't associated with any of these showers, according to Lunsford. Both the Alpha Capricornids and Southern Delta Aquariids become visible annually when Earth passes through debris fields left by two Jupiter-family comets: 169P/NEAT (Alpha Capricornids) and P2008/Y12 (Southern Delta Aquariids). Cook also noted that, each year, 'we're passing closer to the core of the material that produces (the Alpha Capricornids) shower and in 200 years, it'll be the strongest shower that's visible from Earth. It'll actually produce more than 1,000 (meteor streaks) an hour, which is quite a bit stronger than it is now.' For those interested in contributing to astronomers' understanding of meteors, this week presents the perfect opportunity to count how many meteors you see in the night sky and report them to places like the American Meteor Society. Here are the other meteor showers to anticipate in 2025 and their peak dates, according to the American Meteor Society and EarthSky. Perseids: August 12-13 Draconids: October 8-9 Orionids: October 22-23 Southern Taurids: November 3-4 Northern Taurids: November 8-9 Leonids: November 16-17 Geminids: December 12-13 Ursids: December 21-22 Look out for five more full moons this year, with supermoons occurring in October, November and December. Here's the list of full moons remaining in 2025, according to the Farmers' Almanac: August 9: Sturgeon moon September 7: Corn moon October 6: Harvest moon November 5: Beaver moon December 4: Cold moon Two eclipse events will occur as summer ends. A total lunar eclipse will be visible in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, parts of eastern South America, Alaska and Antarctica on September 7 and 8, according to Time and Date. A lunar eclipse occurs when Earth passes exactly between the sun and the moon, throwing the latter into shadow and making it appear darker or dimmed. When the moon sits in the darkest part of Earth's shadow, the sun's rays bend around Earth and refract light on the moon's surface, which gives it a reddish hue, according to London's Natural History Museum. Some people call the result a 'blood moon.' Two weeks after the total lunar eclipse, a partial solar eclipse will be visible in parts of Australia, the Atlantic, the Pacific and Antarctica on September 21. Solar eclipses occur when the moon moves between the sun and Earth, blocking part of the sun's surface from view, according to NASA. This creates a crescent shape — as if something took a 'bite' out of the sun. Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.
Axios
12 hours ago
- Science
- Axios
Seattle's night sky: A celestial triple feature
The next few weeks may bring a celestial triple feature to Seattle's skies — if the clouds cooperate. What's happening: The Alpha Capricornids, which is capable of producing bright fireballs that can punch through light pollution, peak Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the American Meteor Society. So do the Southern Delta Aquariids, which deliver faint but steady meteors, the society says. Plus, the Perseids, one of the most anticipated showers of the year, is ramping up ahead of its mid-August peak. State of play: A waxing moon and cloudy evenings this week could dim visibility in Seattle, as usual, but a break in the clouds — or a surprise shift in the forecast — might still offer a glimpse of the show. In Seattle, both the Alpha Capricornids and Southern Delta Aquariids are best viewed facing south. Look for Capricornids after midnight and Aquariids between 1-4am, when their radiants are highest. H ow to watch: Find a dark spot, lie back, and look up.
Los Angeles Times
16 hours ago
- Science
- Los Angeles Times
Perseid meteor shower: When it peaks and what could spoil the party
When it comes to meteor showers, the Perseids pop. It's not just about the quantity of meteors (as many as 100 per hour) and their showy quality (fireballs!) but also their superb timing. The annual shower hits its peak on warm, laid-back August nights as the Earth crosses paths with the dust cloud left by comet Swift-Tuttle on its every-133-years swing past our planet. Watching the shower can be an awesome experience as meteors streak past in the summertime heavens, leaving light and color in their wake. John Denver, 27 and on a camping trip amid the Colorado pines, was so moved after seeing the Perseids rain fire in the sky that he wrote 'Rocky Mountain High.' That said, this year there's a caveat. The meteor shower is set to peak the night of Aug. 11 and 12, according to Ed Krupp, director of L.A.'s Griffith Observatory. NASA says the best viewing time is in the predawn hours. But the moon will get in the way. 'The waning gibbous moon will severely compromise this shower at the time of maximum activity,' notes the American Meteor Society. The moon will be about 92% full and in the sky much of the time as the shower hits its peak, Krupp said. 'Fainter meteors will be lost in the moon's glow,' he told The Times. 'At its best, the Perseid shower delivers between 50 to 100 meteors per hour, but this year far fewer will be seen.' Stargazers can cross their fingers for more fireballs, a phenomenon that the Perseid shower is known for, according to NASA. 'Fireballs are larger explosions of light and color that can persist longer than an average meteor streak,' NASA says. 'This is due to the fact that fireballs originate from larger particles of cometary material.' Krupp advises that those who are 'committed to the Perseids' despite the diminished chances of visibility this year 'should go somewhere far from any urban center and away from the scattered glare of artificial lighting.' Experts advise booking campsites in Joshua Tree, the Mojave Desert and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. There are multiple other good spots. Once there, aim for an expansive view because, although the Perseids seem to radiate from the northern constellation Perseus, they can appear anywhere, Bill Cooke, a NASA meteor scientist, told The Times in 2024. 'So get on a cot or on a sleeping bag,' he said, 'and lie flat on your back and look straight up.' Good news for 2026: The forecast for the Perseid meteor shower is excellent. The moon will be dark, and as NPR reports, an unusually large number of meteors are expected to flash through the night sky.
