According to EarthSky, the first, the Delta Aquariids meteor shower, is expected to peak around 6 a.m. ET (10 a.m. UTC). Its radiant, the point from which meteor trails appear to originate, rises in mid-afternoon, is highest around 2 a.m. local time, and is low in the sky at dawn. As Earth orbits the sun, it encounters the unbalanced orbit of a comet, whose icy surface leaves behind dust and rocks as they melt away from the sun’s heat. When these space rocks fall into our atmosphere, “the resistance — or drag — of the air on the rock makes it extremely hot,” according to NASA. “What we see is a ‘shooting star.’ This bright streak is not actually rock, but rather hot air glowing as the hot rock moves through the atmosphere. It is suspected to come from comet 96P Machholz, the shower The Southern Delta Aquarid meteor shower occurs anytime between July 12 and August 23 annually. It can be best seen by people in the Southern Hemisphere and southern latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, according to the NASA. However, a dark, moonless sky is crucial, EarthSky stressed. Fittingly, the moon will only be 1% full during peak meteors, which tend to be 10 to 20 per hour and fly to 25 miles (41 kilometers) per second, they are most visible between 2 and 3 a.m. in all time zones when the faint constellation Aquarius, the water bearer, the radiant point of rain — is highest in the sky, according to EarthSky About 5% to 10% of Delta Aquariid meteors leave persistent trains, q ue are bright trails of ionized gas that remain for a second or two after the meteor passes. If you go outside for about 30 minutes before you shower, your eyes can adapt to the dark, according to NASA. For those in the southern hemisphere, the radiant is closer to the head; people in the northern hemisphere should look towards the southern part of the sky. No need to use a telescope. For optimal viewing, find an area away from artificial lighting and lie on your back, looking at as much of the sky as possible, NASA suggested.
How to watch the Alpha Capricornid meteor shower
The Delta Aquariids peak will be followed by the Alpha Capricornids meteor shower peak, which occurs Saturday and Sunday while the moon is only 5 percent full, according to the American Meteor Society.
This shower is not very strong and rarely emits more than five meteors per hour, according to the society. However, Alpha Capricornids tend to produce bright fireballs during their peak and can be seen equally well by people on either side of the equator.
Other space events this year
There are more meteor showers you can catch throughout the rest of 2022, according to EarthSky’s 2022 meteor shower guide:
- August 13: Perseids
- October 9: Draconids
- October 21: Orionides
- November 5: Southern Taurides
- November 12: Taurides of the North
- November 18: Leonidas
- December 14: Geminids
- December 22: Ursids
You can also see five more full moons in 2022, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac:
- August 11: sturgeon moon
- September 10: Harvest Moon
- October 9: Hunter’s Moon
- November 8: beaver moon
- December 7: Cold moon
And there will be one more total lunar eclipse and a partial solar eclipse in 2022, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. The October 25 partial solar eclipse will be visible to people in Greenland, Iceland, Europe, northeast Africa, the Middle East, western Asia, India, and western china
The November 8 total lunar eclipse will be visible in Asia, Australia, the Pacific, South America, and North America between 3:01 a.m. ET and 8:58 a.m. ET. But for people in eastern North America, the moon will set during this time.
Use proper eclipse glasses to view solar eclipses safely, as sunlight can damage the eye.