As the monsoon rains refreshes <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="India" source="keywords">India</keyword> while the nation cheers on its athletes in the ongoing Olympics, the skies above promise another natural spectacle that will captivate <keyword id="20400403" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="stargazers" source="keywords">stargazers</keyword>. This month, India will witness a rare <keyword id="20400402" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="celestial-event" source="keywords">celestial event</keyword>: a "double" <keyword id="21521139" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="meteor-shower" source="keywords">meteor shower</keyword> featuring both the <keyword id="22559089" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Alpha-Capricornids" source="keywords">Alpha Capricornids</keyword> and the <keyword id="22406564" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Southern-Delta-Aquariids" source="keywords">Southern Delta Aquariids</keyword>, peaking within 24 hours of each other.<br /><br />Meteor showers occur when Earth’s orbit intersects the path of a <keyword id="20023122" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="comet" source="keywords">comet</keyword>, causing rocky debris to burn up in our atmosphere. This month, Earth will pass through the orbits of comet 96P/Machholz and comet 169P/NEAT, giving rise to the Southern Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids respectively. The Southern Delta Aquariids will peak on July 29-30, while the Alpha Capricornids will peak on July 30-31.<br /><br />Nicholas Moskovitz, a planetary <keyword id="22128353" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="astronomer" source="keywords">astronomer</keyword> at Lowell Observatory, notes that such close peaks of two meteor showers are "a little bit unusual" but not entirely uncommon. Observing them helps scientists understand comet behaviours and predict future meteor showers, which is crucial for the safety of spacecraft.<br /><h2>Visibility in India</h2>Both meteor showers are expected to be visible in India, particularly in the southern regions and areas away from urban light pollution. For the best viewing experience, find a dark site, ideally in rural areas or hill stations. The Southern Delta Aquariids will produce around 20-25 meteors per hour at their peak, appearing as faint streaks that require dark skies to be seen. The Alpha Capricornids, while less frequent at about 5 meteors per hour, are known for their bright fireballs, making them more spectacular even in less than ideal conditions.<br /><div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="112016039" title="Forget distant fly-bys of giant rocks—this plane-sized asteroid will come within 1.7 million km of Earth this week!" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>To catch these celestial wonders, it’s recommended to watch the sky between midnight and dawn. Make sure to find a dark spot away from city lights, stay off devices to allow your eyes to acclimate to the dark. Be patient, lie back and scan the sky, focusing on areas away from the moon. It would also be wise to check the local weather forecast to ensure clear skies before heading out for any stargazing.<br /><br />Both showers will be most visible if you look towards the southern horizon. The meteors will appear to radiate from the constellations Aquarius (for the Southern Delta Aquariids) and Capricornus (for the Alpha Capricornids), but you should look away from these radiant points to see longer meteors streaking across the sky.<br /><div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111730212" title="Bengaluru-based Pixxel Space plans to mine asteroids for building settlements in space" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>So, mark your calendars, prepare your night-sky essentials, and get ready to witness a <keyword id="22559088" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="double-meteor-shower" source="Orion">double meteor shower</keyword> that promises to be a highlight of the monsoon season. As athletes from around the globe compete for glory, the night sky will provide a universal display of nature's own fireworks.<br />

India to witness a rare and mesmerising DOUBLE meteor shower on July 30!

<ul class="summary-list"><li>One of this summer's exciting celestial events is a double meteor shower, which peaks on July 30.</li><li>The two meteor showers are very different from each other, and one is known for its fireballs.</li></ul><p>Two <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-meteor-shower-perseids-orionids-leonids-2018-8">meteor showers</a> — the Southern Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids — are scheduled to peak around the same time Tuesday evening. And one is known for its spectacularly <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fireballs-perseid-meteor-shower-nasa-asteroids-space-rare-2023-8">bright fireballs</a>.</p><p>The best time to see any meteor shower — including this double event — is between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. local time, Nick Moskovitz, a planetary astronomer at Lowell Observatory in Arizona, told Business Insider.</p><p>People in the Southern Hemisphere are in for a better show, but folks in the Northern Hemisphere can still enjoy the shower if they know <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/darkest-skies-by-state-watch-space-events-stargazing">where to look</a>, Moskovitz said.</p><h2 id="84424575-7d09-4e0a-8751-90ccd69cfb1b">Where to see this week's double meteor shower in the US</h2><div type="image" title="The night sky with bright white stars in the background covered by cream-colored clouds in the foreground." height="1414" width="2121" msid="112120704" hostid="261" sizebytes="46478"></div><p>If you're in the US, Moskovitz recommends finding a place where you have a clear view of the southern horizon and are as far away as possible from any <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-night-looks-like-aoraki-mackenzie-international-dark-sky-reserve-2023-5">light pollution</a>.</p><p>"If you're looking to the southern sky from the US, what you'll see is meteors heading to the north, the east, and the west from the southern hemisphere," Moskovitz, who has nearly <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://nmosko.com/projects/locams/">100 cameras</a> set up across Arizona that observe hundreds of meteors showers a year, told BI.</p><p>These two meteor showers are named for the southern adjoining constellations Aquarius and Capricornus where they appear to radiate from.</p><p>People in the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/12-of-the-worlds-most-beautiful-spots-to-stargaze-2016-7">Southern Hemisphere</a> will see the meteors overhead because that's where the constellations will be around peak viewing time, when you can see the most meteors per hour. But in the northern hemisphere, you must look south to catch them as they streak across the night sky.</p><p>You don't need a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/blueprints-giant-telescopes-moon-nasa-astronomers-2024-2">telescope</a> or binoculars. Meteors move so fast, the best way to see as many as you can is with the unaided eye. However, you will need some time and patience.</p><p>"People go out and get disappointed after five minutes and go in. You really need 15 minutes for <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/health/is-dark-mode-better-for-your-eyes">your eyes to adjust</a> and acclimate to the dark," Moskovitz said, adding that, "You got to find the site, you got to get comfortable and wait."</p><h2 id="39864252-9fee-45f9-9e67-557aadd3f181">A double meteor shower worth checking out</h2><div type="image" title="Yellow shooting stars against a purple night background." height="960" width="963" msid="112120707" hostid="261" sizebytes="45348"></div><p>On their own, the Southern Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids meteor showers are less spectacular than larger showers like the Perseids, which peak in mid-August. But together, the double meteor shower offers a better chance to see two very different types of meteors on the same night.</p><p>During its peak, the Southern Delta Aquariids can generate about 25 shooting stars per hour and the Alpha Capricornids produce about five per hour. And Tuesday <span>night is the best chance of catching both, Moskovitz said.</span></p><p>Unlike the Aquariids meteors, which are usually faint and small, the Capricornids can produce <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amateur-astronomer-video-jupiter-bright-fireball-comet-asteroid-impact-2023-9">brilliant fireballs</a> — the kind of very bright shooting stars that people get excited about, Moskovitz said.</p><p>The two meteor showers traditionally peak around the end of July every year, but their peaks usually don't coincide on the same night. This year is an exception.</p><h2 id="b11c0cf1-5cde-4b6f-a14b-cc5f14224188">What causes a double meteor shower</h2><div type="image" title="Distant view of Earth from space with sun shining brightly behind Earth's blue edge" height="1235" width="2428" msid="112120710" hostid="261" sizebytes="155544"></div><p>Earth regularly passes through streams of dirt, ice, and dust left over from <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/comet-everest-sky-how-to-see-it-12p-pons-brooks-2024-3">comets whizzing</a> through our solar system. When that debris enters Earth's atmosphere, it burns up and we see that heat as a shooting star, aka a meteor.</p><p>Moskovitz compares it to bugs on a windshield. "Earth is the windshield and the bugs are all these meteors smacking into the atmosphere," he said.</p><p>In the case of this double meteor shower, "the thing that's a little bit unusual here is that there happened to be two streams in space that are so close to one another that we see them as sort of a double meteor shower. And that's just kind of a coincidence," Moskovitz said.</p><p>As far as meteor showers go, this double event happening tomorrow evening is one of the better ones to enjoy. </p><p>"This is a good time of year to do it," Moskovitz said, adding that summer evenings offer mild temperatures so "you'll be a little more comfortable and it's not the worst way to spend a few hours of your night."</p>

How to see a double meteor shower on Tuesday night with a chance of fireballs

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids are predicted to peak on July 30 and 31. </li><li>The Alpha Capricornids could produce dazzling fireballs, or extremely bright streaks in the sky.</li></ul><p>It's meteors galore this season, as two meteor showers are expected to peak this weekend, giving North Americans in the south the best views. </p><p>The Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids are predicted to peak on July 30 and 31, sending ancient asteroid bits and comet particles streaking across the night sky. </p><p>The spectacular Delta Aquariids meteor shower, which converges with the well-known Perseids, has been flying for weeks, but the peak means up to 15 to 20 meteors per hour could appear in a dark sky with no moon, <a href="https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-delta-aquarid-meteor-shower/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to EarthSky.</a> The shower itself, however, is set to last until late August.</p><p>Although the Aquariids are more visible in the southern hemisphere, Americans, especially those in the south, will still be able to get a glimpse. The best time to see the Delta Aquariid shower is around 2 a.m. when the meteor shower's <a href="https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/meteors-and-meteorites/delta-aquariids/in-depth/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">radiant</a> is at its highest. The light from these faint meteors may be outshone by a nearly full moon, per EarthSky, but viewing near the moonset can also help offset this.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Alpha Capricornids, a less prominent source of meteors, could actually set the sky ablaze. The shower usually results in fewer meteors per hour — around five — but can produce brilliant "fireballs."</p><p>Last week, Robert Lunsford of the American Meteor Society, captured seven fireballs from the Alpha Capricornids meteor shower, <a href="https://earthsky.org/space/7-fireballs-in-1-night-capricornids/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to EarthSky.</a></p>  <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JjCIcRvEPmM" frameborder="0"></iframe>  <p>This shower is set to last until mid-August.</p><p>In order to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/eta-aquarids-meteor-shower-shooting-stars-how-to-watch-peak-2023-4">see the meteor showers</a>, Insider's Marianne Guenot reports that you should get away from city lights, lay on the ground, and let your eyes adjust to the dark night sky.</p>

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India to witness a rare and mesmerising DOUBLE meteor shower on July 30!

Ankush Banerjee

How to see a double meteor shower on Tuesday night with a chance of fireballs

Jessica Orwig

2 meteor showers will peak Monday and last into August. One could produce dazzling fireballs.

Hannah Getahun