How to spot the meteors this week ahead of the Perseids in August

If you look up at the night’s sky tonight (29 July), there’s a chance you’ll be treated to a meteor shower as the Southern Delta Aquariids and the Alpha Capricornids meteor showers both hit their peak.

While these may be less significant than the more well-known Perseids meteor shower (which is due to peak on 12 August), they may actually be easier to see because the moon will be less full, at around 25 per cent, therefore making it less bright.

Nick Moskovitz, planetary astronomer at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona, US, explained that together, Southern Delta Aquariids and the Alpha Capricornids could produce between 20 to 30 meteors per hour.

How can I see the meteor shower on 29 July?

The best viewing will be in dark areas that are not affected by light pollution from artificial light. Moskovitz suggests that between midnight and before dawn is the best time to see a meteor.

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It is also recommended to allow your eyes to adjust to the dark for 15 to 30 minutes.

“Put your cellphone down,” Moskovitz added. “Turn that screen off and let your eyes adjust to the dark.”

If there are clouds, experts say it is worth trying to spot meteors the following night from the peak, as some may still be visible.

“This time of the summer is really peppered with meteor showers,” Hunter Miller, educator in astronomy at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, said. “Really, my biggest recommendation is to get to dark skies.”

The fullness of the moon may affect how well people are able to view this year’s Perseids meteor shower, as it will occur just a few days after a full moon, which Moskovitz says, “just ruins the ability to see all of those meteors”.

“The glare of the moon is really a killer,” he said, adding, “That is just going to make the Perseids not all that compelling this year.”

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