A double meteor shower peak will occur this week — but sky-gazers might have a difficult time catching a glimpse of the cosmic activity. The Alpha Capricornids and the Southern Delta Aquariids are active from mid-July to mid-August, but both are expected to reach their peaks Thursday night into Friday, according to the American Meteor Society.

Meteor Shower Details

The Alpha Capricornids and the Southern Delta Aquariids occur annually, but a full moon usually limits visibility of a meteor shower peak around every three years, said Bob Lunsford, report coordinator for the American Meteor Society. People in the Southern Hemisphere might have a viewing advantage, however. From the Southern Hemisphere, the radiant — or the point from which meteors appear to come — is higher overhead compared with where it sits above the Northern Hemisphere.

To get the best vantage point, try viewing the meteor shower from a high elevation and position yourself “facing northward with the moon at your back, so that the direct moonlight doesn’t affect your night vision,” Lunsford advised. The Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower radiates from the Aquarius constellation and is known to produce faster-moving meteors — around two per hour as seen from the Northern Hemisphere and three per hour from the viewpoint of the Southern Hemisphere.

Meteor showers can provide spectacular views, but that’s not the only reason to observe them. Viewing these cosmic events can reveal key insights into space. Taking note of such events can help experts “determine the particles in space that are orbiting and when we intercept them every year,” Lunsford said.

Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.