Latest news with #meteorshowers
The Guardian
14 hours ago
- Science
- The Guardian
Australian stargazers to enjoy two meteor showers this week – and you can leave the binoculars at home
Stargazers and night owls in Australia will be in prime position to catch a glimpse of two spectacular meteor showers this week as they pass through our atmosphere. The good news is that you won't need a telescope or a pair of binoculars to see the Southern Delta Aquariids and the Alpha Capricornids showers – just your own eyes. Here's what you need to know about the meteor showers and where you can see them. The southern hemisphere is likely to have a great view of both the meteor showers, with Australia in prime position to enjoy them. But meteor showers are best seen away from the city lights, according to University of Southern Queensland professor of Astrophysics Jonti Horner. He recommends stargazers scope out a potential viewing spot during the day – ideally somewhere away from buildings, street lamps and car headlights – to return to at night. Stargazers should check the weather each evening too to decide which to venture out into – with some rain forecasted in Sydney on Wednesday and some cloud cover predicted in Melbourne and Brisbane this week. The best time to view the showers will be between 11pm and dawn on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week. 'When the radiant rises you will start to see them but the higher the radiants get in the sky the better the view will be,' Horner said. 'So the radiant of the Southern Delta Aquariids, which is the stronger of the two showers, is highest at around 2.00am local time, which means any time between 11pm and dawn would be the prime time'. He said that the radiant for the Alpha Capricornids is highest a couple of hours earlier just before midnight, but warned it may put on a less luminous show. The Delta Aquaridds are coming in at about 40kms a second, while the Alpha Capricornids are travelling about 22kms a second. Although some might be tempted to break out the binoculars or even the telescope to enjoy the meteor showers, Horner believes it's best just to use your own eyes. 'The reason for that is you'll want to have the widest possible field of view to be able to see the biggest amount of sky that you can, because the meteors that you see are bit of dust and debris hitting our atmosphere,' Horner said. 'If you're looking through binoculars or a telescope you've just got such small field of view that you won't see them.' He also recommended not spending too much time looking at your phone screen beforehand so your eyes can adjust to the darkness faster – which allows you to spot the lights better. 'It takes about 45 minutes for your eyes to fully adapt to the darkness but you get most of your adaptation in the first 5 minutes,' Horner said. Horner also suggested taking a chair or blanket with some pillows to lie down on to avoid a sore neck, while downloading an app that maps the night sky is a helpful way to know which way to look. Horner said that you can visualise a meteor shower as being a stream of debris crossing the earth's orbit where all of the debris particles are travelling in the same direction. 'So that debris when it's coming towards the earth it will hit the earth from a specific direction' Horner said. 'The result that we observe is that the meteors can appear in any part of the night sky but they will always trace back to that point in the sky that is the direction the meteors are coming from'. He said that the point where meteors are coming from is called the radiant of the meteor shower and so their names derive from the constellation that the radiant is in. Horner said that the best meteor shower of the year for stargazers to look out for is the Geminid meteor shower which is active during the first couple of weeks of December but peaks on the nights of the 14-15. 'Depending on your latitude you'll be able to start observing those meteors in December from about 9.30pm in the Brisbane area, bit later the further south you go and a bit earlier the further north you go,' Horner said. 'That shower is by far the best shower of the year, the moon will be new this year so there will be nothing to interfere with your viewing'.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
Tonight is the best night for stargazing all summer
If you're a fan of stargazing, make sure you have your eyes fixed on the skies this evening. Tonight (July 28) is the best night for stargazing all summer – and you don't want to miss it! Eagle–eyed viewers will be able to catch not just one, but two meteor showers tonight – the Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids. If you're lucky, you'll be able to see up to 25 shooting stars flying overhead every hour. Crescent moon Our moon follows a cycle which repeats about once a month (29.5 days), and includes eight phases – new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter, and waning crescent. Tonight, the moon will be in the Waxing Crescent phase, meaning just a small sliver is visible in the night sky. 'This silver sliver of a Moon occurs when the illuminated half of the Moon faces mostly away from Earth, with only a tiny portion visible to us from our planet,' NASA explained. 'It grows daily as the Moon's orbit carries the Moon's dayside farther into view. 'Every day, the Moon rises a little bit later.' Alongside the crescent moon, you might notice a bright red 'star' in the night sky. This isn't actually a star at all – it's Mars. While the Red Planet is well past its brightest point this year, it remains a distinct, red dot in the night sky. For the best chance of seeing the planet, look at the moon around 45 minutes after sunset. According to Live Science, the gap between the moon and Mars will be about one degree, which is roughly the width of your pinky finger held at arm's length. Two meteor showers Arguably the most exciting event this evening is the Delta Aquariid Meteor Shower, which will sync up with the Alpha Capricornid Meteor Shower. The Delta Aquariids are active from 12 July to 23 August, but will peak between 29–30 July, meaning tonight is a perfect time to catch it. 'A moderate meteor shower peaking in late July, the Delta Aquariids kick off the summer meteor season in the Northern Hemisphere,' Royal Museums Greenwich explains. 'Although best viewed from the Southern Hemisphere, those living at mid–latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere will still be able to catch a glimpse of the meteor shower.' Tonight, experts predict that the Delta Aquariids will serve up to 20 shooting stars every hour. However, the Alpha Capricornids will provide an additional five shooting stars every hour – meaning you can expect up to 25 meteors in total. For your best chance of seeing the shooting stars, find an area well away from city lights if you can. 'Come prepared with a sleeping bag, blanket, or lawn chair – lie flat on your back with your feet facing east and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible,' NASA says. Because meteors can be quite faint, keen astronomers need to get away from metropolitan areas. 'As with almost every shower, try and find a wide open space, as far from city lights as possible and fill your view with as much of the night sky as possible,' said Dr Greg Brown, public astronomy officer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich. Do not worry if they are not instantly visible; NASA says it takes about 30 minutes in the dark for your eyes to adapt and you will begin to see the meteors. Be patient – the show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Science
- Forbes
See The Moon Meet Mars As ‘Shooting Stars' Fall: The Night Sky This Week
Venus is shining brightly over the European Southern Observatory's La Silla Observatory in Chile. Each Monday, I pick out North America's celestial highlights for the week ahead (which also apply to mid-northern latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere). Check my main feed for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy, eclipses and more. The Night Sky This Week: July 28-August 3, 2025 July ends, and August begins with a waxing crescent moon that continues its evening journey past Mars and through Leo while the very early hours offer a rising tide of meteor showers. Two minor showers — Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids — reach their peak midweek, delivering a steady stream of shooting stars, especially for southern observers. By week's end, the moon performs one of its closest passes to Antares this year. Here's everything you need to know about stargazing and astronomy this week: Monday, July 28: Moon And Mars Monday, July 28: Moon And Mars About 45 minutes after the sun dips below the horizon, a 19%-illuminated waxing crescent moon will appear in the west just to the left of Mars. The two solar system objects will be separated by only about one degree. Tuesday, July 29: Meteor Showers Peak Two overlapping meteor showers — the Delta Aquariids and the Alpha Capricornids — both reach their peak tonight. The Delta Aquariids may produce up to 20 meteors per hour, while the Alpha Capricornids can add another 5 to 10. As luck would have it, the waxing crescent moon will set relatively early, leaving the sky dark for most of the night. For best viewing, head to a dark location and face generally southeast or south after midnight for the best chance to catch long, lingering Delta Aquariids and bright Alpha Capricornids. Wednesday, July 30: Moon Near Spica Wednesday, July 30: Moon Near Spica Now about 36%-lit, the waxing crescent moon will be positioned just a degree from Spica, the brightest star in Virgo. This blue-white binary star lies about 250 light-years away. Friday, August 1: 'Morning Star' Venus Peaks Look east 45 minutes before sunrise to see Venus at its highest point —about 25 degrees above east — during its current apparition as the 'Morning Star.' It will shine brilliantly at –3.9 magnitude in the outskirts of the constellation Orion, 'The Hunter.' Sunday, August 3: Moon And Antares Sunday, August 3: Moon And Antares From most of North America, the moon will appear to pass incredibly close to Antares, the brightest star in Scorpius. The moon regularly passes close to Antares, Aldebaran, Regulus, and Spica due to their location near the ecliptic, which the moon's orbital path around Earth closely follows and often intersects. The times and dates given apply to mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location-specific information, consult online planetariums like Stellarium. Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Science
- Forbes
Northern Lights Could Be Visible From These 8 States Sunday Night
The northern lights have a moderate chance to appear for viewers in the northern United States on Sunday night, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted, coinciding with meteor showers potentially visible in the summer night skies. The aurora visible over Fairbanks, Alaska in March. Anadolu via Getty Images Forecasters at NOAA issued a Kp index of three out of nine for Sunday night, meaning the aurora could become 'brighter' with 'more auroral activity (motion and formations).' The aurora was likely much more active Saturday night due to the presence of a geomagnetic storm, NOAA said, but several states in the Upper Midwest and Alaska could still see auroral activity on Sunday night. Meanwhile, the Piscis Austrinid meteor shower is expected to peak in the early morning hours of Monday morning. NOAA's viewing line for Sunday night. NOAA Much of the Upper Midwest is within Sunday night's viewing range, including North Dakota, parts of Montana, northern Minnesota and Wisconsin, and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Alaska has the potential for northern lights Sunday, as well. Small slivers of northeastern Washington and northern Idaho are also within the viewing range, according to NOAA. Between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., according to NOAA. The aurora is brightest and most active during the hours around midnight, according to forecasters. Viewers hoping to catch a glimpse of the northern lights should try to move toward the magnetic north pole and away from cities and other sources of light pollution. What Else Could I See Tonight? The aurora borealis coincides with several major meteor showers actively taking place in the summer skies, including the annual Perseid meteor shower that began on July 17, although that shower is not expected to peak until August. Stargazers could also catch a glimpse of the Piscis Austrinid meteor shower, which will peak overnight, or the Southern Delta Aquariids, which will peak Tuesday.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Watch two meteor showers at once: Best time to see the Delta Aquariids and Capricornids
The Brief The Southern Delta Aquariid and Alpha Capricornid meteor showers will both peak early July 30. Each shower could produce around a dozen visible meteors per hour under dark skies. Viewing is expected to be ideal due to a dim, quarter-full moon and clear summer conditions. Stargazers are in for a treat as two meteor showers will peak at the same time before dawn on July 30, creating a rare summer sky double feature. The Southern Delta Aquariid and Alpha Capricornid meteor showers are expected to produce a combined total of up to two dozen visible meteors per hour in areas with dark skies and minimal light pollution. Because the moon will be just a quarter full, its light shouldn't interfere much with visibility. "Look for flashes of light in the night sky," said Thaddeus LaCoursiere, planetarium program coordinator at the Bell Museum in St. Paul, Minnesota. He described both showers as "very nice classic meteor showers." What is a meteor shower? The backstory Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through debris trails left by comets—tiny fragments of dust and rock that burn up upon entering our atmosphere. The Southern Delta Aquariids come from the comet 96P/Machholz. The Alpha Capricornids originate from comet 169P/NEAT. As the fragments hit the Earth's atmosphere at high speed, the friction causes them to heat up and glow, sometimes producing streaks known as "shooting stars." What we know Both meteor showers are already active and will remain visible through August 12, with the early morning of July 30 expected to offer the best viewing. The Alpha Capricornids tend to feature slower meteors that leave lingering tails, according to Nick Moskovitz of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. No special equipment is needed—just find a dark, clear location and look up. What we don't know Exact meteor counts can vary depending on conditions. Cloud cover, haze, and local light pollution may reduce visibility. It's also uncertain how widespread the viewing conditions will be across the U.S. on July 30, depending on regional weather forecasts. What you can do To see the meteor showers: Head outdoors in the early morning hours before dawn. Choose a spot away from city lights with an unobstructed view of the sky. Let your eyes adjust to the darkness and avoid looking at your phone—it ruins your night vision. No binoculars or telescopes needed; wide views of the sky work best. What's next If you miss this week's peak, don't worry—the Perseids, one of the most anticipated meteor showers of the year, will peak in mid-August and often deliver much higher rates of visible meteors. The Source This article is based on reporting from the Associated Press and includes expert commentary from the Bell Museum and the Lowell Observatory. Meteor activity data comes from NASA and the International Meteor Organization. Solve the daily Crossword
