Look Up! A Triple Meteor Shower Spectacle Will Light Up the Late July Sky

Take advantage of the warm summer nights to catch some out-of-this-world light shows in the sky. Three separate meteor showers—the Alpha Capricornids, the Southern Delta Aquariids, and the Perseids—will be visible later this month.

According to NASA, meteor showers (often called shooting stars) are produced when pieces of comet debris heat up and burn as they enter the Earth's atmosphere, resulting in bright bursts of light streaking across the sky. Here's more about the three showers popping up in July.

The Alpha Capricornids

The Alpha Capricornids, which began on July 7, will last through August 13 and are expected to peak on July 30, according to the American Meteor Society (AMS). This meteor shower is known for producing slow-moving fireballs—typically three to five an hour. Most are faint, but some can appear brighter than the surrounding stars, according to AMS. Fireballs are large explosions of light and color that persist longer than an average meteor streak.

The meteors appear to originate near the area of Alpha Capricorni, a double star in the constellation of Capricornus that's visible to the naked eye; this is known as the radiant point and usually where a meteor shower gets its name from. The Alpha Capricornids' radiant is highest in the sky between midnight and 1 a.m. local time. Look to the south to spot this light show.

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The Southern Delta Aquariids

To see the Southern Delta Aquariids, look toward the radiant near the Aquarius constellation, just west of the star known as Delta Aquarii, about 40 degrees east of the Alpha Capricornids. This shower will reach maximum activity on July 30 (the same night as the Alpha Capricornids), according to AMS. But these meteors are easy to differentiate from the Alpha Capricornids because they are much faster—typically less than a second.

The shower starts at about 10 p.m. local time and will be highest in the sky around 3 a.m. As its name suggests, the Southern Delta Aquariids will be most visible to stargazers situated in the Southern Hemisphere, where the radiant is higher. However, the shower will still be visible to those north of the equator, but at a lower hourly rate. At that time, there can be about five to 10 meteors an hour, while in the Southern Hemisphere, rates can reach between 10 and 20 meteors per hour.

The Perseids

Considered to be the best meteor shower of the year, the Perseids began on July 17 and are expected to last until August 23, according to AMS. This shower typically peaks in mid-August, producing "swift and bright" meteors, as NASA describes them, that often leave streaks of light and color behind as they zoom through the sky. They originate from the debris left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle as it orbits the sun every 133 years.

The Perseid meteor shower is predicted to peak on August 12, when Earth travels through the densest and dustiest part of the comet debris. Unfortunately, this year's peak takes place just three days after a full moon, so the moonlight may make it difficult to spot fainter meteors. Because of this, you may want to observe the shower from July 18 to 28, when moonlight is at a minimum, suggests Live Science.

The Perseids are best viewed in the Northern Hemisphere during the pre-dawn hours, though it is possible to see them as early as 10 p.m. The Perseids' radiant is in the Perseus constellation in the northeastern sky.

Overall, for the best chance at spotting a meteor shower, you should find a location with minimal light pollution. Bring a chair and blankets so you can sit or lie down and comfortably look up at the sky for long periods.