Fireballs will light up night skies in a double meteor shower. Here’s how to see them

Two meteor showers will light up the skies next week — at the same time.

July has been a spectacular month to be a stargazer. Comet NEOWISE will fade and become invisible to the naked eye come August, but there is something else to look forward to now: a double meteor shower.

During the night of Tuesday, July 28, and the early morning of Wednesday, July 29, shooting stars from the southern Delta-Aquariids and the Alpha Capricornids will be visible at once, AccuWeather said.

A double meteor shower hasn’t happened in about three months. Clouds ruined the view across North America last time, according to the weather service.

The southern Delta-Aquariids zoom through the skies yearly, usually between July 12 and Aug. 23, NASA reported.

“At the peak, under ideal conditions (a clear, dark night in the southern hemisphere) you might be able to see 25 meteors per hour, although fewer meteors will be visible for us in the northern hemisphere,” NASA said.

The other visible meteor shower, the Alpha Capricornids, is usually active from July 2 to Aug. 10, according to the American Meteor Society. It is not the strongest shower, and usually produces five or fewer meteors per hour.

“What is notable about this shower is the number of bright fireballs produced during its activity period,” the American Meteor Society said on its website.

The best time to see the double meteor shower will be at about 1 a.m. local time, AccuWeather reported.

“Looking halfway between the horizon and the zenith, and 45 degrees from the constellation of Aquarius will improve your chances of viewing the Delta Aquariids,” NASA told CBS News. “In less than 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will begin to see meteors.”

This story was originally published July 24, 2020 at 10:27 AM with the headline "Fireballs will light up night skies in a double meteor shower. Here’s how to see them."