Observers will soon be able to see a “double” meteor shower that will peak next week Alpha CapricornsThe sighting of the double sky was “just an incredible coincidence,” Nicholas Moskowitz, a planetary astronomer at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona, told Live Science.

Meteor showers occur when Earth’s orbit crosses the path of a comet. The rocky debris left behind by the comet burns up as it enters Earth’s atmosphere. During this month’s twin meteor showers, Earth will pass through the orbit of comet 96P/Machholz, which produces the southern Delta Aquarids, peaking July 29-30, and comet 169P/NEAT, which produces the Alpha Capricornids, peaking July 29-30. July 30. Through July 31.

Moskowitz said two meteor showers peaking 24 hours apart was “a little unusual.” “But the idea of ​​seeing multiple showers in one night? Of course, that’s not that uncommon.”

More than 900 meteor showers occur throughout the year, Moskowitz noted, which averages two to three meteor showers each night.

But not all of these are “big” meteor showers like the Perseids or Geminids, where more than 100 meteors shine across the sky every hour. Most of the meteor showers are small, and astronomers are just beginning to systematically study and measure them, thanks to newly developed instruments, Moskowitz said.

Meteor showers occur at regular intervals because of their predictable orbits around the Sun. The slight annual variation in their intensity is determined by when comets eject debris and how long they float in space. Forecasting meteor showers has important implications for the safety of spacecraft and humans traveling in space, said Moskowitz, who leads the Lowell Observatory’s All-Sky Meteor Observatory Camera Network (LO-CAMS).

At its peak, the southern Delta Aquarius will send viewers about 20 to 25 meteors per hour (so-called background meteor showers typically average around 5 per hour). Aquariums in the southern Delta will appear “pretty dull,” according to Moskowitz. “You really have to go somewhere dark, stay away from lights, away from traffic, away from cell phones, and let your eyes adjust to the dark so you have a chance to see some of those faint objects.”

Alpha Capricorns are much rarer, Moskowitz said, but are often associated with “bright fireballs with larger meteor fragments that fly off and burn up, becoming brighter and more spectacular.” These extremely bright meteors are made up of marble-sized particles. Dimmer meteors are usually the size of a grain.

The double meteor shower will be best seen in the Southern Hemisphere, where the radiant point or visible point from which the shower originates will be nearly overhead. People in the Northern Hemisphere may also be able to see the meteor shower if the southern horizon is clearly visible.

Both meteor showers will last until mid-August.

“Almost all meteor showers peak between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m.,” Moskowitz said. “So if you want to catch any of these, your best chance of seeing the meteors is to go somewhere dark and do it after midnight,” he said.

Both showers are best viewed with the naked eye, but you may need a new pair of binoculars or a good telescope in your backyard to get the most out of this year’s other sky-watching events.