Rare double meteor shower visible in days in ‘amazing coincidence’ – when to see fireballs but don’t make phone mistake
A RARE double meteor shower will see fireballs soaring across the skies later this week.
The stunning space spectacle sees the Alpha Capricornids and the Southern Delta Aquariids peaking at the same time.
Meteor showers are actually extremely common – hundreds take place every year.
Sadly, not all of these meteor showers are exciting enough to head outside for.
But this week, stargazers will get a chance to see two meteor showers peaking at the same time.
First up is the Southern Delta Aquariids, which is set to peak from July 29 to July 30.
It’s believed that the meteoroids come from the Comet 96P Machholz.
Their name comes from the fact that the point of their origin (the “radiant”) is near the Delta Aquarii star in the constellation Aquarius.
The Southern Delta Aquariids typically produce observable meteors at a rate of between 15 to 20 an hour.
Then there’s the Alpha Capricornids, set to peak from July 30 to July 31.
These comes from the comet 169P/NEAT, and is believed to have been created between 3,500 to 5,000 years ago.
They’re less common, with peak rates up between two to five (or more rarely five to nine) meteors an hour.
It’s expected that the bulk of the dust linked to the shower will be in Earth’s path in the 24th century.
The doubled-up shower was called “an amazing coincidence” by planetary astronomer Nicholas Moskovitz, of Arizona’s Lowell Observatory, speaking to Live Science, adding that it was “a little bit unusual” to see joined-up peaks like this.
Seeing meteor showers typically doesn’t involve looking at a specific region of sky – they fan out across the heavens, so you’ll need to keep your eyes peeled.
Your best chance of seeing the meteor showers is in the middle of the night – at peak darkness – so you might want to stay up late for the best view.
What is a meteor shower?
Here's what you need to know...
- During a meteor shower, fireballs appear to streak across the sky
- This happens because pieces of debris are rapidly burning up as they eneter Earth’s atmosphere
- That debris is often left behind by a collision between two space objects, like a planet or comet
- The Orionids shower is debris from Halley’s Comet, a huge chunk of ice orbiting the Sun
- Many meteor showers are repeated
- They occur at a height of around 62 miles
And if you are viewing in the dark, make sure to avoid using your smartphone.
Meteor showers can be hard to see, so you’ll want to make sure your eyes adjust to the dark – don’t let checking your texts ruin it.
But that’s not all – Nasa has shared some of its top tips for viewing meteor showers.
Nasa tips for stargazing revealed
Nasa’s main suggestion is to get out of the city (if you’re in one) for the best chance to see a shower.
“Try to get to the darkest location you can,” the space agency explained.
“The darker it is where you are, the more meteors you will see streaking across the sky.”
Similarly, you’ll want to check the weather forecast – it’s pointless heading out if it’s a cloudy night.
And finally, it’s important to stay warm and comfortable for being outside.
What's the difference between an asteroid, meteor and comet?
Here's what you need to know, according to Nasa...
- Asteroid: An asteroid is a small rocky body that orbits the Sun. Most are found in the asteroid belt (between Mars and Jupiter) but they can be found anywhere (including in a path that can impact Earth)
- Meteoroid: When two asteroids hit each other, the small chunks that break off are called meteoroids
- Meteor: If a meteoroid enters the Earth’s atmosphere, it begins to vapourise and then becomes a meteor. On Earth, it’ll look like a streak of light in the sky, because the rock is burning up
- Meteorite: If a meteoroid doesn’t vapourise completely and survives the trip through Earth’s atmosphere, it can land on the Earth. At that point, it becomes a meteorite
- Comet: Like asteroids, a comet orbits the Sun. However rather than being made mostly of rock, a comet contains lots of ice and gas, which can result in amazing tails forming behind them (thanks to the ice and dust vaporizing)
That’s because you might end up being out for hours trying to spot meteors.
“You will be out for a good long while and will want to lie flat on your back to soak up as much of the sky as possible,” Nasa said.
“To stay cozy, bring a blanket, jacket, hat, a warm drink, and water.
“You may think it’s silly to bring some warm clothes in the middle of the summer, but late at night the temperature can drop just enough to be chilly.
“If you are in a buggy area, you will want to apply some bug spray to avoid irritating bites.”