A rare double meteor shower will see fireballs flying across the skies later this week.
The stunning space spectacle sees the Alpha Capricornids and Southern Delta Aquarids peaking at the same time.
In fact, meteor showers are extremely common – hundreds of them occur every year.
Unfortunately, not all of these meteor showers are exciting enough to view outdoors.
But this week, stargazers will have the opportunity to see two meteor showers peak at the same time.
The first is the Southern Delta Aquariids, which is expected to peak on July 29-30.
The meteoroids are believed to come from comet 96P Machholz.
Its name comes from the fact that the point of origin (the “radiant”) is close to the star Delta Aquarii, in the constellation Aquarius.
The Southern Delta Aquarids typically produce observable meteors at a rate of between 15 and 20 per hour.
Then there are the Alpha Capricornids, peaking on July 30-31.
These come from comet 169P/NEAT and are believed to have been created between 3,500 and 5,000 years ago.
They are less common, with peak rates of between two to five (or more rarely five to nine) meteors per hour.
Most of the rain-bound dust is expected to be on Earth’s path by the 24th century.
The double shower was called “an incredible coincidence” by planetary astronomer Nicholas Moskovitz of Arizona’s Lowell Observatory, speaking to Live Scienceadding that it was “a little unusual” to see peaks joined together like this.
Viewing meteor showers does not typically involve looking at a specific region of the Earth. sky – they spread across the skies, so you need to keep your eyes open.
Your best chance to see the meteor showers is in the middle of the night – at the height of darkness – so you may want to stay up late to get 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 burn quickly as they enter Earth’s atmosphere.
- This debris is often left behind by a collision between two space objects, such as a planet or comet.
- The Orionid shower is debris from Halley’s Comet, a huge chunk of ice that orbits the Sun
- Many meteor showers recur
- They occur at a height of about 62 miles
And if you’re seeing in the dark, avoid using your smartphone.
Meteor showers can be difficult to see, so you’ll want to make sure your eyes adjust to the dark – don’t let checking your texts ruin everything.
But that’s not all – NASA has shared some of its top tips for observing meteor showers.
NASA tips for observing the stars revealed
NASA’s top suggestion is to get out of the city (if you’re in one) for the best chance of seeing a shower.
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“Try to get to the darkest place possible,” explained the space agency.
“The darker it is where you are, the more meteors you will see streaking across the sky.”
Likewise, you’ll want to check the weather forecast – it’s meaningless going out if it’s a cloudy night.
And finally, it’s important to stay warm and comfortable being outdoors.
What is 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 could impact Earth).
- Meteoroid: When two asteroids collide, the small pieces that break off are called meteoroids.
- Meteor: If a meteoroid enters Earth’s atmosphere, it begins to vaporize and then becomes a meteor. On Earth, it will look like a ray of light in the sky because the rock is burning
- Meteorite: If a meteoroid doesn’t completely vaporize and survive the trip through Earth’s atmosphere, it could land on Earth. At that point it becomes a meteorite
- Comet: Like asteroids, a comet orbits the Sun. However, instead of being made mostly of rock, a comet contains a lot of ice and gas, which can result in incredible tails forming behind them (thanks to the vaporization of the ice and dust ).
That’s because you could end up being out for hours trying to spot meteors.
“You will be outside for a long time and will want to lie on your back to enjoy as much of the sky as possible,” NASA said.
“To stay comfortable, bring a blanket, jacket, hat, hot drink and water.
“You might think it’s silly to bring warm clothes in the middle of summer, but late at night the temperature can drop just enough to feel chilly.
“If you are in a buggy area, apply a bug spray to avoid annoying bites.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
