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Fireballs could light up the night as shooting stars streak through the sky this weekend in an event that will act as a warmup for stargazers ahead of an even more impressive light show in mid-August.
A flurry of meteors will soon dash across the heavens, a celestial light show that will be followed up by an even more impressive astronomical event in the coming weeks.
The Southern Delta Aquarids and Alpha Capricornids will peak simultaneously centered around the night of Sunday, July 30, into the early morning of Monday, July 31. However, it will not be a one-night-only event.
Both meteor showers have plateaulike peaks that last for about a week centered around the night of July 30, according to the American Meteor Society (AMS), meaning any night at the end of July or the start of August will offer views of shooting stars. This is much different than many other meteor showers that peak over the course of just one or two nights.
The two long-running meteor showers will combine for 15 to 20 meteors per hour, including the chance to spot a few incredibly bright meteors known as fireballs.
However, there will be some competition in the night sky at the end of July.
A nearly full moon will rise Sunday night, emitting moonlight that will wash out many of the dimmer meteors. For the best chance at spotting shooting stars, experts recommend viewing the Southern Delta Aquarids and Alpha Capricornids after 3 a.m.,
local time, when the moon sets.
Meteors may still appear in the sky before the moon sets, but will be best seen in darker areas of the sky where the moon is out of sight.
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A man watches the Perseid meteor shower on Dahong mountain on August 13, 2021, in Xilingol League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. (Photo by Liu Shuangxi/VCG via Getty Images)
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