How to watch the double meteor showers tonight

(NewsNation) — Southern states will be able to see the peak periods of two meteor showers nearly overlap Tuesday night, according to the American Meteor Society (AMS).

Observers will be able to see the southern Delta Aquarids and the Alpha Capricornids dual showers in the Southern Hemisphere and southern latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. 

Meteor showers are caused by the Earth passing through the trail of debris left behind by a comet. As comets travel through space, they shed tiny particles of dust and rock that enter the Earth’s atmosphere as it passes through. The particles burn up and create bright streaks of light in the sky.

Meteor showers are usually most visible between midnight and pre-dawn hours and are easier to see under dark skies away from city lights. 

The southern Delta Aquarids reached its peak on the night of July 29, but it is active between July 18 and Aug. 21 and is best observed from the southern tropics. Experts from the AMS recommend looking toward the southwestern sky if the moon is above the horizon when viewing.

According to the AMS, these meteors are usually faint and lack persistent trains and fireballs. The parent comet of the Delta Aquarids is comet 96P/Machholz.

The Alpha Capricornids will reach their peak on the night of July 30 but are active from July 7 to Aug. 15. They can be seen equally well on either side of the equator.

According to the AMS, this shower is not very strong, rarely producing more than five shower members an hour, but it produces many bright fireballs. The parent comet of the Alpha Capricornids is comet 169P/Neat. 

The next significant meteor shower will be the Perseids, which is active from July 14 to Sept. 1 and peaks on Aug. 12. The AMS says that the Perseids are particles released from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.