THREE meteor showers will be visible as alpha Capricornid, Southern delta Aquariid, and Perseid light up the sky.
The Earth is currently passing through streams of debris from three comets, according to the American Meteor Society (AMS).
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Named 169P/NEAT, 96P/Machholz and 109P/Swift-Tuttle they will work to produce the three previously mentioned meteor showers.
Together, the showers will create as many as 20 meteors per hour, as well as a sprinkling of bright fireballs, per SpaceWeather.com.
They will be visible after midnight local time.
Southern Delta Aquariid
The Southern Delta Aquariid can best be viewed from the southern tropics and along 16 latitudes south, which cuts through South America, Africa and Australia, per AMS.
The agency says viewings from the Northern Hemisphere will be scarce, but there’s a better chance of catching a sighting the further south you go.
The best time to observe these showers is between the hours 2 to 4am.
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Alpha Capricornids
Alpha Capricornids are famous for their fireballs. The gravely debris naturally produces slow bright balls when hitting Earth’s atmosphere.
Nearly 5,000 years ago the underlying debris stream was created by a major fragmentation event when as much as half of its parent comet – 169P/NEAT disintegrated, according to SpaceWeather.
Per the agency, forecasters believe this shower will intensify in the years ahead as Earth moves deeper into the debris stream.
They will be equally visible from both sides of the equator.
Perseids
The Perseids are the most popular meteor shower, usually peaking on warm August nights, per AMS.
They are visible from the northern hemisphere and are active from July 14 to September 1. They reach maximum strength on August 12 or 13, depending on the year, per the site.
The Perseids are particles released from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle during the many returns it makes to the inner solar system.
They get their name because the area where they tend to originate is located near the Perseus constellation.
The Perseids will next peak on the night of August 11-12.
