Latest news with #meteorshower
Forbes
16 hours ago
- Science
- Forbes
When To See ‘Shooting Stars' Tonight As Two Meteor Showers Peak
2018 Perseids meteor shower with the Milky way, taken in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the Alps. ... More Shooting stars are stacked according to their positions in the sky to show the (oppisite) radiant. Two meteor showers peak on the night of July 29 and into the early hours of July 30., making it the best night to watch for shooting stars this summer. The Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids will reach their peak together, with the moon setting early to leave dark skies that could host up to 30 meteors per hour. To add to the spectacle, the annual Perseids meteor shower, which peaks in August, may also offer an extra sprinkle of shooting stars. Here's how to see shooting stars tonight. Where And When To Look You can watch after dark on July 29, once the waxing crescent moon has set, but the best time will likely be between midnight and the early morning hours of July 30. Meteors can streak across any part of the sky, so don't fixate on a single spot. However, knowing where they come from is instructive. The Delta Aquariids radiate from near the constellation Aquarius, while the Alpha Capricornids appear to come from the area around Capricornus — both of which are low in the south, as seen from the Northern Hemisphere. In contrast, the Perseids come from the constellation Perseus, which is rising in the northeastern night sky come nightfall. What You'll See Expect to see up to 25 meteors per hour from the Delta Aquariids, known for their faint but steady activity that can continue for a few nights beyond the peak night. The Alpha Capricornids add another 5–10 meteors per hour and are more likely to produce slower, brighter fireballs. The Perseids are more prolific on their peak night, but at this stage, they produce between about five and 10 shooting stars per hour. Observing Tips The best way to watch a meteor shower is to get out of the city to the darkest location you can, according to NASA, such as a Dark Sky Place. Allow at least 20-30 minutes for your eyes to adjust, and do not look at your smartphone. Only night vision will allow you to see shooting stars that you would otherwise not notice, which is particularly important for the Delta Aquariids because they tend to be faint. A wide, unobstructed view of the sky is wise, as is having a lawn chair or a blanket to lay down on. Do not try to use a telescope or binoculars, which will hugely restrict your view. What's Next In The Night Sky The full sturgeon moon will turn full on Aug. 9, and just a few days later, early on Aug. 12, there will be a very close conjunction between Venus and Jupiter. That's the same day the Perseid meteor shower hits its annual peak, but it will be ruined by the lingering sturgeon moon — so make the best of tonight's moonless night sky, which will make all the difference. For exact timings, use a sunrise and sunset calculator for where you are, Stellarium Web for a sky chart and Night Sky Tonight: Visible Planets at Your Location for positions and rise/set times for planets. Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Double meteor shower to peak this week: When and where to best see the shooting stars
NASA says you should give your eyes about 30 minutes to adapt to the darkness outside before you can see the meteors. Two meteor showers will peak at the same time in the early morning hours on Wednesday, a relatively uncommon astronomical occurrence caused by the Earth's orbit passing through two comets' debris trails. The Southern Delta Aquariid and the Alpha Capricornid showers have both been active since July 18 and July 12, respectively, but will peak late Tuesday night, around midnight, and continue into the early hours of Wednesday morning. These two showers combined could produce up to 20 to 30 meteors per hour, Nick Moskovitz, a planetary astronomer with the Lowell Observatory, estimates, according to NPR. Here's what to know about how to prepare for this summer's double meteor shower. What is a meteor shower? Meteorites are falling pieces of debris from comets, asteroids or meteoroids that land on Earth every day, according to NASA. When the material starts to vaporize in Earth's atmosphere, its trail can be visible to people on Earth. This is what we call 'shooting stars.' A meteor shower is what happens when there is a higher-than-usual number of meteors falling in a short period of time. What to know about the Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower The Southern Delta Aquariid shower has been active since July 18, but its peak will be late at night on July 29 until the early morning hours on July 30, NASA reported. It will remain active until about Aug. 12 and is best seen in the Southern Hemisphere. The meteor shower gets its name from the constellation Aquarius, which is where the shower originates, and the third brightest star in that constellation, which is the Delta Aquarii, reports. What to know about the Alpha Capricornid meteor shower The Alpha Capricornid shower is 'not very strong,' according to the American Meteor Society, and rarely showcases more than five meteors per hour. It has been active since July 12 and will stay active until Aug. 12. What is notable about the Alpha Capricornid shower is that it produces bright, slow-moving fireballs during its activity, which will be visible during its peak on July 29 and July 30. How to watch the meteor showers No special equipment is necessary to watch the meteor showers, but NASA does recommend that viewers try to get as far away from city lights as possible and put away their phones. 'In less than 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will begin to see meteors,' NASA says. 'Be patient — the show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse.' The best time to try to see the showers will be in the early hours on July 30, after midnight, astronomer Moskovitz told NPR. Stargazers in North America should try to find the best view of the southern part of the sky, specifically for the Southern Delta Aquariid shower, Moskovitz added. The moon is another light source that can sometimes make it hard to see meteor showers from Earth, especially if it's fully visible. Fortunately for stargazers, the moon will be in a Waxing Crescent Phase through Thursday night this week, which means it will be about 25% full, according to Astronomy magazine, so it should not impact the showers' visibility.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Double meteor shower to peak this week: When and where to best see the shooting stars
NASA says you should give your eyes about 30 minutes to adapt to the darkness outside before you can see the meteors. Two meteor showers will peak at the same time in the early morning hours on Wednesday, a relatively uncommon astronomical occurrence caused by the Earth's orbit passing through two comets' debris trails. The Southern Delta Aquariid and the Alpha Capricornid showers have both been active since July 18 and July 12, respectively, but will peak late Tuesday night, around midnight, and continue into the early hours of Wednesday morning. These two showers combined could produce up to 20 to 30 meteors per hour, Nick Moskovitz, a planetary astronomer with the Lowell Observatory, estimates, according to NPR. Here's what to know about how to prepare for this summer's double meteor shower. What is a meteor shower? Meteorites are falling pieces of debris from comets, asteroids or meteoroids that land on Earth every day, according to NASA. When the material starts to vaporize in Earth's atmosphere, its trail can be visible to people on Earth. This is what we call 'shooting stars.' A meteor shower is what happens when there is a higher-than-usual number of meteors falling in a short period of time. What to know about the Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower The Southern Delta Aquariid shower has been active since July 18, but its peak will be late at night on July 29 until the early morning hours on July 30, NASA reported. It will remain active until about Aug. 12 and is best seen in the Southern Hemisphere. The meteor shower gets its name from the constellation Aquarius, which is where the shower originates, and the third brightest star in that constellation, which is the Delta Aquarii, reports. What to know about the Alpha Capricornid meteor shower The Alpha Capricornid shower is 'not very strong,' according to the American Meteor Society, and rarely showcases more than five meteors per hour. It has been active since July 12 and will stay active until Aug. 12. What is notable about the Alpha Capricornid shower is that it produces bright, slow-moving fireballs during its activity, which will be visible during its peak on July 29 and July 30. How to watch the meteor showers No special equipment is necessary to watch the meteor showers, but NASA does recommend that viewers try to get as far away from city lights as possible and put away their phones. 'In less than 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will begin to see meteors,' NASA says. 'Be patient — the show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse.' The best time to try to see the showers will be in the early hours on July 30, after midnight, astronomer Moskovitz told NPR. Stargazers in North America should try to find the best view of the southern part of the sky, specifically for the Southern Delta Aquariid shower, Moskovitz added. The moon is another light source that can sometimes make it hard to see meteor showers from Earth, especially if it's fully visible. Fortunately for stargazers, the moon will be in a Waxing Crescent Phase through Thursday night this week, which means it will be about 25% full, according to Astronomy magazine, so it should not impact the showers' visibility.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Climate
- RNZ News
How to watch Tuesday's meteor showers as weather forecast threatens to spoil show
Meteors from the Phoenicids meteor shower streak across the sky in Lincoln, Canterbury region, New Zealand on 9 December 2023. Photo: AFP / Sanka Vidangama Two meteor showers will light up the dark skies on Tuesday night, but whether the forecast will allow Kiwis to gaze upon the stars is an entirely different story. Southern delta-Aquarids and alpha-Capricornids will peak at the same time late tomorrow night until the the early hours of Wednesday morning. Stargazes should be able see 10 to 20 meteorites every hour of the Southern delta-Aquarids meteor, while it's rare to see more than five of the alpha-Capricornids in any one hour, but it can appear as bright as any star. This is expected be most visible between midnight and 1am, as the radiant (near a star called alpha Capricornii) reaches its highest point in the night sky. However, that may not matter if the weather forecast has anything to do about it. Cloud cover promises to spoil the meteor show, with much of New Zealand in for heavy rain, and strong winds. MetService has again issued heavy rain warnings for Tasman - a region still recovering from recent storms. A weather front, moving east across the country, is expected to bring up to 180mm of rain to the region. There were orange rain warnings in place for Tasman east and south of Motueka, Nelson and Marlborough west of Havelock, and north of the Wairau River, through to Tuesday evening. In the North Island there were strong wind warnings across Northland, Coromandel and Bay of Plenty expected on Tuesday. Coromandel residents might also get heavy rain, with a high chance of it reaching warning level. A heavy rain warning was already in place for Taranaki Maunga and a heavy rain watch for the central mountain ranges, while strong winds were possible to the south. If the clouds do stay away and rain allows you to adventure outside, the meteorites will be best observed with the naked eye. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
2 summer meteor showers peak soon. When is the best time to see Perseid in Mississippi?
If you haven't caught a glimpse of a shooting star yet in July, it's not too late. In fact, the best nights to see the most are happening soon. There are three meteor showers visible over Mississippi now, and the showy fireballs and falling stars will continue until late August. Two of the celestial shows will peak about the same time in late July, but you'll still have weeks to stargaze and catch a peek. The Perseid is the most famous. It runs from about July 17 to Aug. 23, according to the American Meteor Society. The alpha Capricornids are in progress, according to the American Meteor Society, and will be active through about Aug. 12. The Delta Aquariid Meteor Shower will be visible from July 18 through about Aug. 12 as well. Here's what to know about the best times to see shooting stars and places in Mississippi where the night sky will be darkest. When is the best time of night to see Perseid, more meteors in July and early August? All three meteor showers can be visible from evening through dawn, meaning you don't have to stay up super late for this stargazing. You just might not get the best views earlier in the evening. AMS says the best time to see any meteor shower is between midnight and dawn. According to NASA, the Perseids can be seen as early as 10 p.m. It's still summer in Mississippi, so plan ahead if you're spending a lot of time outdoors to watch the sky. Plan for heat and mosquitoes. Nights are cooler but still humid, which can make it hard for sweat to evaporate. Sweating more leads to dehydration faster, so be sure to bring plenty of water and maybe some bug repellent. What is each meteor shower known for? The Perseids are one of the most popular annual astronomical events. They're active for several weeks and can treat viewers to about 50-75 meteors per hour, according to AMS. The moon will likely be bright during the peak evenings in 2025, so only the brightest meteors will be seen. It could reduce visibility by as much as 75%. According to EarthSky, the maximum hourly rate can be about 15-20 visible meteors in a dark sky for the Delta Aquariid. These can be faint and hard to see. The alpha Capricornids have fewer meteors, but they're showier. This shower is known for fireballs, but you might only see about five per hour, according to the Meteor Society. What are the peak nights to see shooting stars in July and August? The American Meteor Society estimates the peak periods will be around July 29-30 for the Delta Aquarids and alpha Capricornids. The Perseids will peak around Aug. 12-13. The new moon was on July 24, making the dark nights before and after the clearest for sky watchers. But other nights, other than around the full moon, will still offer visibility, weather permitting. When is the August full moon? The worst nights for viewing meteor showers will be in the days surrounding the full moon. The full moon in August, called the "Sturgeon Moon," will be on Aug. 9, 2025. Peak illumination will be 2:55 a.m. CT, according to Farmer's Almanac. Moonrise in Jackson will be a 7:48 p.m. CT, on Aug. 8, according to That'll be shortly after sunset around 7:51 p.m. Where are the best dark sky places in Mississippi? Find a great spot to see the night sky Go Astronomy lists some of the best places for seeing the night sky without light pollution in Mississippi. Places that have a Bortle dark-sky scale score are provided. The nine-tier system ranks a three as a rural night sky and a one as an excellent dark sky. Bienville National Forest: Bortle score - 3. Clark Creek Natural Area: Bortle score - 3. De Soto National Forest. Delta National Forest. French Camp. Holly Springs National Forest. Holmes County State Park: Bortle score - 3. Homochitto National Forest: Bortle score - 3. Leroy Percy State Park: Bortle score - 3. Tishomingo State Park: Bortle score - 3. Tombigbee National Forest. The Natchez Trace Parkway has designated stargazing spots from sunrise until 10 p.m.: Big Tree Overlook, milepost 439.4. Little Mountain Exhibit Shelter, milepost 193.1. Reservoir Overlook, milepost 105.6. Are a meteor and a comet the same thing? No. They're different, but they can be related. A comet is an icy ball of rock, frozen gas and dust that orbits the sun. According to NASA, they can be "the size of a small town." As they get near to the sun, comets develop a head that's bigger than some planets made of dust and gas. The resulting tail can be millions of miles long. Meteors, sometimes called shooting stars, are little pieces of debris that we see burn up as they enter the Earth's atmosphere, according to NASA. "Every Perseid meteor is a tiny piece of the comet Swift-Tuttle, which swings by the Sun every 135 years," NASA wrote. Before it enters the atmosphere and is still in space, the rock is called a meteoroid. A meteorite is the part of the meteor that survives the trip and hits the ground. Space Connect reporter Eric Lagatta contributed to this report. Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with Gannett/USA Today. Email her at bbolden@ This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Summer meteor showers peak soon: When, where to see Perseid, more in MS Solve the daily Crossword
