Earlier this year, we've had sightings of the super moon, which will again grace the skies come next month's full moon on August 10. There will also be the more well-known Perseid meteor shower happening next month, peaking from august 11-13. However, these two are not the only celestial events worth waiting for.
About six meteor showers will be happening until next month for your visual entertainment.
"Each summer, amateur astronomers from all over the world look forward to observing the famous Perseid meteor shower, but often overlook six lesser celestial fireworks displays that reach their peak between July 28 and Aug. 20," Mashable reported. "This year, a bright nearly-full moon will seriously interfere with Perseid meteor observing, so why not take this opportunity to try and view the other six, all but one of which will enjoy dark skies."
Generally, our planet witnesses "richer meteoric activity" in the second half of the year. Also, observers will be more likely to witness about double the meteors each hour during dawn than in the evening.
"This is due to the fact that during the pre-midnight hours we are on the 'trailing' side of the Earth, due to our orbital motion through space. So any meteoric particle generally must have an orbital velocity greater than that of the Earth to 'catch' us," Space.com explained. "Between Aug. 3 and Aug. 15, there are no fewer than six different minor displays that are active."
From July 12 to August 19, amateur sky watchers may see the S. Delta Aquarids across the skies. From July 3 to August 15, the Alpha Capricornids will also be on display, with about 4-5 slow, bright meteors falling an hour on average.
The S. Iota Aquarids will also be on show from July 25 to August 15, while the N. Delta Aquarids will appear from July 15 to August 25. Meanwhile, the Kappa Cygnids will arrive from August 3-25, as the N. Iota Aquarids take their turn in the night/predawn skies from August 11-31.
"The only equipment you'll need to see this summer's meteor showers are your eyes, a modest amount of patience, good weather and dark skies," Space.com advises. "The actual number of meteors a single observer can see in an hour depends strongly on sky conditions."
Another alternative is checking out the live stream of the more well-known Delta Aquarids meteor shower on July 28 at 10 p.m. EDT via the Slooh community observatory. NASA, on the other hand, will provide a webcast Tuesday night at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama.
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