Latest news with #meteor shower
Forbes
a day ago
- Science
- Forbes
When To See ‘Shooting Stars' Tonight As Four Meteor Showers Collide
Summer's 'shooting stars' season gets underway this week with the peaks of three meteor showers. The most famous meteor shower of all, the Perseids, will peak on Aug. 12-13, but a badly timed full moon makes this week the best time to see its shooting stars. A Perseid meteor streaks across the sky above Inspiration Point early on August 12, 2016 in Bryce ... More Canyon National Park, Utah. (Photo by) Getty Images The Piscis Austrinid meteor shower will peak in the early hours of July 28, with about five meteors per hour possible, according to The following morning, July 29, will see the peaks of two more meteor showers, the Southern delta Aquariids and the alpha Capricornids. The Southern delta Aquariid meteor shower produces up to 25 shooting stars per hour, with most being rather faint. Although the alpha Capricornids number just five shooting stars per hour at their peak, they tend to include bright and colorful fireballs, according to the American Meteor Society. For all three meteor showers, the best view will likely be had about 3:00 a.m. local time in North America (all timezones), when the radiant points — the constellations of Pisces, Aquarius and Capricorn — are highest in the sky. Those constellations are all visible low on the southern horizon, so the best views will be had the farther south in North America. July 28 and 29 will be excellent nights for stargazing and looking for shooting stars if the skies are clear because the light from the crescent moon will not bleach the night sky. The Perseid meteor shower is already active, having begun on July 17 and is expected to continue until Aug. 23. On the peak night, around 50-75 meteors per hour are visible, but in 2025, that number will be significantly reduced, with only the very brightest of its shooting stars visible. That's because Aug. 9 will see the rise of a full sturgeon moon, which will remain bright and dominant in the night sky on Aug. 12-13, rising just as the peak of the Perseids gets underway. It will remain in the sky for the rest of the night. When To See The Perseid Meteor Shower In 2025 There are two periods to watch the skies in 2025 if you want to see shooting stars from the Perseid meteor shower. The first is right now before the moon reaches its first quarter phase on Aug. 1. The second is Aug. 15, when the moon will rise around midnight and a little later on subsequent nights. According to NASA, the best way to watch a meteor shower is to get out of the city to the darkest location you can, such as a Dark Sky Place. However, it's wise to check the weather forecast in advance because a clear sky is imperative. Observe somewhere with a clear view of as much of the night sky as possible, with extra layers to keep warm, as well as bug spray, snacks and drinks. Be patient, take a break every 30 minutes and avoid looking at a smartphone whose white light will kill your night vision. The Next Major Meteor Shower After the Perseids come to an end on Aug. 23, the next major meteor shower will be the Orionids. Active from Oct. 2 to Nov. 12, it will peak overnight on Oct. 22-23, one day after October's new moon. That will be perfectly dark skies, making many of the Orionids' predicted 10-20 shooting stars per hour during the peak visible to observers away from light pollution. The Orionid meteor shower is one of two annual meteor showers caused by Halley's Comet, the most famous and one of the largest comets known. The other is the Eta Aquariids meteor shower, which next peaks on May 5-6, 2026. Further Reading Forbes NASA Urges Public To Leave The City As Milky Way Appears — 15 Places To Go By Jamie Carter Forbes Get Ready For The Shortest Day Since Records Began As Earth Spins Faster By Jamie Carter Forbes NASA Spacecraft 'Touches Sun' For Final Time In Defining Moment For Humankind By Jamie Carter
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Science
- Associated Press
How to watch two meteor showers peak together in late July
WASHINGTON (AP) — It's almost time for summer's meteor shower duet. The Southern Delta Aquariid and the Alpha Capricornid meteor showers peak at the same time — in the early morning of July 30. Without too much interference from moonlight — the waxing moon will be only about a quarter full — the meteors should appear bright and clear in regions away from city lights. With each shower expected to produce up to a dozen visible meteors per hour under dark skies, the doubleheader means the total number of meteors 'do add up,' said Thaddeus LaCoursiere, planetarium program coordinator at the Bell Museum in St. Paul, Minnesota. 'Look for flashes of light in the night sky,' he said, adding that both are 'very nice classic meteor showers.' The Alpha Capricornids — produced by slower-moving meteors — may have tails that linger slightly longer in the sky, said Nick Moskovitz of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. Viewing of each shower lasts through August 12. What is a meteor shower? As the Earth orbits the sun, several times a year it passes through debris left by passing comets and sometimes asteroids. The source of the Delta Aquariids is debris from comet 96P/Machholz. The Alpha Capricornids stem from the comet 169P/NEAT. When these fast-moving space rocks enter Earth's atmosphere, the debris encounters new resistance from the air and becomes very hot, eventually burning up. Sometimes the surrounding air glows briefly, leaving behind a fiery tail — the end of a 'shooting star.' You don't need special equipment to see the various meteor showers that flash across annually, just a spot away from city lights. How to view a meteor shower The best time to watch a meteor shower is in the early predawn hours when the moon is low in the sky. Competing sources of light — such as a bright moon or artificial glow — are the main obstacles to a clear view of meteors. Cloudless nights when the moon wanes smallest are optimal viewing opportunities. And keep looking up, not down. Your eyes will be better adapted to spot shooting stars if you aren't checking your phone. When is the next meteor shower? The next major meteor shower, the Perseids, peaks in mid August. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
CNET
5 days ago
- Science
- CNET
The Next Planet Parade Takes Place at the End of August. Here's How to See It
Fresh off the excitement of the Perseids meteor shower is a chance to see six planets in the sky at the same time. These events, colloquially known as planet parades, only occur about once or twice a year, with the most recent one in February showing off all seven planets at once. The next one will feature six of our closest celestial neighbors, and the event starts on Aug. 20. The six planets sharing the sky will be Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus. Mars will technically be there at the beginning of the night, but it dips below the horizon right after sunset, so it won't be visible when all of the others are. Of those, Mercury, Venus and Jupiter will be visible to the naked eye, while the others will require high-powered binoculars or, preferably, a telescope. Even though they're spread out across the eastern and southern skies, the planets pair up with this one, making many of them pretty easy to find if you know what to look for. From east to west, here's where each one will be. Mercury - Eastern sky near the Cancer constellation. It'll pop over the horizon just before sunrise, so you'll have limited time to view it before the sun comes up and obfuscates it. - Eastern sky near the Cancer constellation. It'll pop over the horizon just before sunrise, so you'll have limited time to view it before the sun comes up and obfuscates it. Venus - At the lower tip of the Gemini constellation in the eastern sky, a couple of hours before sunrise. - At the lower tip of the Gemini constellation in the eastern sky, a couple of hours before sunrise. Jupiter - Will be near Venus, also in the Gemini constellation. It rises about an hour before Venus does. - Will be near Venus, also in the Gemini constellation. It rises about an hour before Venus does. Uranus - Will be near the upper tip of Taurus, rising after midnight. This one will require some magnification. If you see Pleiades, a cluster of stars at the upper tip of Taurus, you've gone too far upward. - Will be near the upper tip of Taurus, rising after midnight. This one will require some magnification. If you see Pleiades, a cluster of stars at the upper tip of Taurus, you've gone too far upward. Saturn and Neptune - These two are right next to each other and will be sitting between the Pisces and Cetus constellations in the southern skies. Neptune will be closer to Pisces while Saturn will be closer to Cetus. Since it takes a long time for planets to move through the night sky, Aug. 20 is the starting point, and it'll run through the rest of the month. Once September hits, Mercury will be too close to the sun, which will obscure it. From that point, there will be a five-planet parade for a while until Venus sinks below the horizon in early October. So, in all, you'll have a chance to see at least five planets for over a month. Will the planet parade be visible from my region? Yes. We double checked Stellarium's sky map from a variety of locations across the country, and everything above will be applicable everywhere in the continental US. Per Starwalk, the parade will also be visible in other parts of the world after the following dates for about the same amount of time (one to two weeks). Abu Dhabi - Aug. 9 - Aug. 9 Athens, Beijing, Berlin, Tokyo and London - Aug. 10 - Aug. 10 Mumbai and Hong Kong - Aug. 11 - Aug. 11 Reykjavik, São Paulo and Sydney - Aug. 12 The planets will move based on date, though. The above locations are where they'll be around Aug. 20, but if you're looking a week or so later, they'll be in the same general area, but will shift to a slightly different part of the sky. Will I need any special equipment? Yes. Neptune and Uranus, especially, will require some sort of magnification to see. We recommend a telescope, but high-powered binoculars may work if the sky is dark enough. Saturn is also difficult to see without magnification, so you'll want it for that too. Jupiter, Venus, and Mercury should be visible on their own with the naked eye. We also recommend taking a trip out to the country, as light pollution from suburbs and cities can make it even more difficult to see Neptune and Uranus. The moon will be out as well, which may make Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury harder to see. Other factors like weather may also make it more difficult to see all of them. If you're lucky, you may see a few shooting stars at the tail end of Perseids as well.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Science
- BBC News
Alpha Capricornids meteor shower: How to watch in the UK
Have you ever seen a meteor shower? If not, this summer could be your chance. From 3 July to 15 August you might be able to spot the Alpha Capricornids meteor shower in our skies, with the shower producing its peak rate of meteors on 30 July. There are usually several opportunities to see meteor showers in the UK throughout the on to find out how to spot the Capricornids and others in the future. What is a meteor and meteor shower? Some people call meteor showers shooting stars, but they aren't really stars, just tiny chunks of rock burning up in the Earth's or meteoroids are small pieces of space debris or rock that fall towards Earth's atmosphere where they burn the space rock falls towards Earth the resistance of it makes it extremely produces a bright streak of glowing hot air behind it. So, what we see isn't actually the falling rock - it's the glowing heat around it - racing across the Earth encounters many meteoroids at once, we call it a meteor shower. How can I see the Alpha Capricornids Meteor Shower? Meteor showers are named for the constellation where the meteors appear to be coming example, the meteor shower happening this month is the Alpha Capricornids meteor shower, as this is the constellation that the meteor appears to be coming from. To see a meteor shower you don't need any special equipment, but a pair of binoculars can help. The best time to spot this shower will be after midnight on or around 30 July. Top tips on spotting meteor showers As mentioned you can see the shooting stars with the naked eye, so you won't need any special the best chance to spot a meteor shower you should find a location with minimal light possible it is better to go away from urban areas where the light pollution from buildings, car headlights, street lamps and neon signs can cause too much up warm and bring a chair and some thick blankets so you can sit or lie down and look up for long periods without getting neck strain, or getting too luck, stargazers!
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Everyone's talking about the Perseid meteor shower – but don't bother trying to see it in Australia or NZ
In recent days, you may have seen articles claiming the 'best meteor shower of the year' is about to start. Unfortunately, the hype is overblown – particularly for observers in Australia and New Zealand. The shower in question is the Perseids, one of the 'big three' – the strongest annual meteor showers. Peaking in the middle of the northern summer, the Perseids are an annual highlight for observers in the northern hemisphere. As a result, every year social media around the world runs rife with stories about how we can enjoy the show. For an astronomer in Australia, this is endlessly frustrating – the Perseids are impossible to see for the great majority of Australians and Kiwis. Fortunately, there are a few other meteor showers to fill the void, including a pair that will reach their peak in the next seven days. What are the Perseids? Every year, Earth runs into a stream of debris laid down over thousands of years by comet 109P/Swift–Tuttle. The comet swings around the Sun every 133 years or so, shedding dust and debris each time. Over the millenia, that material has spread to create a vast stream. Earth starts to run into debris from Swift–Tuttle in mid-July, and takes six weeks to pass through the stream. When the dust and debris hit Earth's atmosphere, the resulting meteors create bright streaks in the sky – a meteor shower. For most of that time, the dust we encounter is very widely spread, and so few meteors are seen. Around August 12, Earth reaches the densest part of the Perseid stream and the shower reaches its peak. The Perseids aren't even the 'best' meteor shower Comet Swift–Tuttle last passed through the inner Solar System in 1992. With the comet nearby, Earth encountered more dust and debris, making the Perseids the best meteor shower of the year. In the decades since, the comet has receded to the icy depths of the Solar System, and the peak rates for the Perseids have fallen off. The 'best' (most abundant) meteor shower of the year is now the Geminids. However, for people in the northern hemisphere, the Perseids are still well worth looking out for. The curse of the spherical Earth All meteor showers have a 'radiant"– the point at which meteors seem to originate in the sky. This is because, for a given shower, all the debris hitting Earth comes from the same direction in space. The debris from comet Swift–Tuttle crashes towards Earth from above the north pole, and at an angle. As a result, for people at a latitude of 58 degrees north, the Perseid radiant would be directly overhead in the early hours of the morning. If a meteor shower's radiant is below the horizon, you won't see any meteors – Earth is in the way, and all the dust and debris is hitting the other side of the planet. It's exactly the same reason you can't see the Sun at nighttime. Given the location of the Perseid radiant, it will never rise for observers south of 32 degrees. This means anyone below that line will never see any Perseids. In theory, anyone north of 32 degrees south latitude can see the Perseids – but there are other complications. The higher a shower's radiant is in the sky, the more meteors you will see. This is why the Perseids can't put on a great show for people in Australia. Even in the far north of Australia, the Perseid radiant remains low in the sky at its highest. For most Australians, the Perseids will be a spectacular disappointment. Look for these meteor showers instead If you're keen to see a meteor shower from Australia or New Zealand, it's best to cross the Perseids off your list. Fortunately, there are other options. Every May, Earth passes through debris left behind by comet 1P/Halley, creating the Eta Aquariid meteor shower – only visible in the hours before dawn. For Australian observers, that's the second best shower of the year. At the end of July each year, two minor meteor showers reach their peaks: the Southern Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids. This year, they peak on 29 and 30 July, with the best views coming in the hours around midnight. It's a perfect time to head out to a dark sky site and relax under the stars – the centre of the Milky Way is high overhead in the evening sky, and these two showers provide some added fireworks to make the sky extra special. Then, in December, comes the true "best shower of the year' – the Geminids. Reaching a peak on 14 and 15 December, the Geminids always put on a spectacular show. Unlike the Perseids, it can be seen from all across our island continent and in Aotearoa. If you really want to see a great meteor shower, skip the Perseids and plan to head somewhere dark this summer, to spend a couple of nights relaxing under the stars. This article is republished from The Conversation. It was written by: Jonti Horner, University of Southern Queensland Read more: Astronomers have spied an interstellar object zooming through the Solar System Astronomers have discovered another puzzling interstellar object − this third one is big, bright and fast After 50 successful years, the European Space Agency has some big challenges ahead Jonti Horner does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
