Attention, sky-gazers! This week offers a spectacular opportunity to witness fireballs streaking across the night sky. The peak activity of two prominent meteor showers—the Alpha Capricornids and Southern Delta Aquariids—will take place soon, alongside another shower that is ramping up. According to Robert Lunsford, the fireball report coordinator for the American Meteor Society, the Alpha Capricornids meteor shower is especially notable for producing strikingly bright meteors known as fireballs.
The best time to observe the Alpha Capricornids is at 11 p.m. on Tuesday, when its radiant point—a location in the Capricorn constellation—will be most visible. While these meteors can be seen globally, they are primarily best viewed from the Southern Hemisphere, particularly in regions like Australia and Africa, as explained by Bill Cooke, the lead for NASA's Meteoroid Environments Office. Expect to see approximately three to five meteors per hour if you're watching from the Northern Hemisphere. To maximize your viewing experience, focus on the southern sky.
For those who stay up late, the Southern Delta Aquariids will reach their peak activity at 1 a.m. on Wednesday. This meteor shower is typically more vigorous than the Capricornids, with viewers in the U.S. likely to see between 10 to 15 meteors per hour, and those in the Southern Hemisphere might observe up to 20 to 25 meteors per hour. The meteors from the Aquariids originate from the southern section of the Aquarius constellation, which is positioned about 40 degrees east of Capricorn.
Both meteor showers will remain visible until August 13. However, there is some debate among experts regarding the exact timing of their peaks. While the American Meteor Society indicates that peak activity will occur Tuesday night into early Wednesday, NASA's team suggests it will happen Wednesday night into Thursday. It's essential to note that the timing of meteor shower peaks can vary by a day or two each year, as Cooke points out.
Don't worry if you miss the peak; Lunsford reassures that the meteor activity remains consistent. "You can go out on the 31st or the 29th and see pretty much the same activity," he says. For an optimal viewing experience, choose a location away from bright lights and obstructions like tall trees or buildings. Higher altitudes, such as hills or mountains, can greatly enhance your visibility of the showers.
What makes this week's meteor showers particularly exciting is the simultaneous occurrence of multiple showers. Cooke notes that during the Perseids, remnants of the Southern Delta Aquariids can still be seen. Currently, the Alpha Capricornids, Southern Delta Aquariids, and Perseids are all active, and while the Perseids are not at their peak, you might still catch glimpses of their meteors this week. In addition, Lunsford mentions the possibility of spotting 10 to 12 meteors that aren't linked to any of these showers.
Each year, the Alpha Capricornids and Southern Delta Aquariids become visible as Earth traverses debris fields left by two Jupiter-family comets: 169P/NEAT (for Capricornids) and P2008/Y12 (for Delta Aquariids). Cooke has noted that we are gradually moving closer to the core of the material that generates the Alpha Capricornids shower, predicting that in approximately 200 years, it will become the most potent shower visible from Earth, potentially producing over 1,000 meteor streaks per hour.
For those eager to catch more meteor showers, here is a list of upcoming events in 2025, along with their peak dates, as reported by the American Meteor Society and EarthSky:
Perseids: August 12-13 Draconids: October 8-9 Orionids: October 22-23 Southern Taurids: November 3-4 Northern Taurids: November 8-9 Leonids: November 16-17 Geminids: December 12-13 Ursids: December 21-22Keep an eye out for five more full moons this year, including supermoons in October, November, and December. Here’s the list of the remaining full moons in 2025, according to the Farmers' Almanac:
August 9: Sturgeon Moon September 7: Corn Moon October 6: Harvest Moon November 5: Beaver Moon December 4: Cold MoonThis summer will close with two significant eclipse events. A total lunar eclipse will be visible across Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, parts of eastern South America, Alaska, and Antarctica on September 7 and 8. This phenomenon occurs when Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, casting a shadow on the moon and giving it a dimmed appearance known as a blood moon.
Following that, a partial solar eclipse will be observable in parts of Australia, the Atlantic, the Pacific, and Antarctica on September 21. Solar eclipses happen when the moon aligns between the sun and Earth, obscuring part of the sun's surface, creating a crescent shape.
