by Washington (AP) -It’s almost time for the Meteor -Dusch duet of summer.
The Southern Delta Aquariid and the Alpha Capricornid -meteor showers at the same time -in the early morning of July 30th.
Without too much interference by moonlight – the growing moon will only be full of a quarter – the meteors in regions outside the urban light should appear bright and clear.
With every shower that is expected to produce up to a dozen visible meteors per hour under dark sky, the Doubleheader means the total number of meteors that “add up,” said Thaddeus Lacouriere, program coordinator of the Planetarium program in the Bell Museum in St. Paul, Minnesota.
“Search for flashes of light in the night sky,” he said, adding that both are “very nice classic meteor showers”.
The alpha-Capricornids, which are made by slowly moving meteors, may have cocks that stay in the sky a little longer, said Nick Moscovitz from Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona.
The visit to each shower lasts until August 12th.
What is a meteor shower?
While the earth creeps up the sun, it flows several times a year through debris that are left by passing comets and sometimes asteroids.
The source of the Delta aquariides are debris from the comet 96p/Machholz. The Alpha Capricornids come from the comet 169p/properly.
When these fast -moving space rocks enter the earth’s atmosphere, the debris meets new resistance from the air and become very hot and finally burn.
Sometimes the surrounding air shines briefly and leaves a fiery tail – the end of a “shooting star”.
You do not need any special equipment to see the different meteor showers that are over one point annually, just a place from the city’s lights.
How to see a meteor shower
The best time to observe a meteor shower is in the early pre -switch times in which the moon is low in the sky.
Competitive light sources – like a light moon or an artificial lighting – are the main obstacles for a clear view of the meteors. Cloudless nights on which the moon disappears the smallest are optimal vision options.
And keep looking, not below. Your eyes are better adjusted to create stars if you don’t check your phone.
When will the next meteor shower shower?
The next big meteor showers, the Persoden, highlight in mid -August.
___
The Department of Health and Science of Associated Press receives support from the Science and Education Media Group of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The AP is only responsible for all content.
