How and when to watch two meteor showers at the same time

On July 28, the spectacle of the Alpha Capricornids and South Delta Aquarids. How to watch two meteor showers at the same time.

A meteor shower enriches the sky with a priceless spectacle. Let alone, then, if the showers are two at the same time.

The event will occur in July and will involve two well-known meteor showers visible everywhere, even from the Northern Hemisphere - although visibility, according to astronomers, should be better for those in the South of the Planet.

Which meteor showers are we talking about: Alpha Capricornids and South Delta Aquarids

These are the meteor showers of Alpha Capricornids and South Delta Aquarids.

According to the American Meteor Society (AMS), meteor showers have different and complementary characteristics: South Delta Aquarids are more numerous, but less spectacular - lacking persistent trails; they also rarely turn into a fireball. In contrast, Alpha Capricornids are sparse - about five meteors every hour - but spectacular.

The first meteor shower is visible from Earth at the earliest from July 15 and sometimes continues into August. The Delta Aquarid shooting stars, on the other hand, can be observed from mid-July through mid-August, with peak activity between July 28 and 29.

You may have noticed an obvious overlap between the two windows of time, in which moreover we find ourselves today.

When and how to see the two meteor showers at the same time, in a shooting star show

The night of July 28 is the ideal day to, as per tradition, close your eyes, as soon as you see a star, and ask the sky what you want most. Unfortunately, the Moon, 74% full, will be very bright, but this should not make it impossible to see some light trails here and there.

Here are some tips to enjoy the show: of course you will have to wait until it is completely dark, but you can leave home and devote yourself to the contemplation of the stars without any special equipment. The intensity of the rains, which will continue throughout the night, will be, according to the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, at its maximum level just before dawn. It would also be good to go out 15-20 minutes earlier to give your eyes a chance to adjust to the darkness.

About meteorites, a really gigantic and very valuable one has landed in England: scientists are excited, plus they have so much material at their disposal that part of it has been exposed to the public. Here's how to see "Winchcombe". An investigation, full of fallout, that revolves around an asteroid is the one that leads to the extinction of the dinosaurs: at the link everything we know, including the terrifying tidal wave triggered by the impact.

Giuseppe Giordano