Double Rain of Shooting Stars: Date, Time and Where to See Them | Gift
Madrid
One of the most exciting moments of every summer is the shower of shooting stars. This year, a double shower of shooting stars is expected next week. The great fleeting show has begun and we reveal all the details so you can enjoy it.
NASA has developed a tool to give you an idea of what to expect in the coming days. Using an interactive map, you can select your favorite meteor shower and view it from Earth or the solar system. This gives you the opportunity to imagine something similar to what will happen during the announced double meteor shower.
Double Rain of Shooting Stars: Date, Time and Where to See Them
The Gamma Draconids are forecast to appear on July 28 with an average rate of five meteors per hour, making them visible from the Northern Hemisphere at midnight and after moonrise.
This first shower will not be as clearly visible as the fleeting double event expected next Wednesday, July 31. The Southern Delta Aquarids will be in the celestial event with a rate of up to twenty-five meteors per hour. In addition, the Alpha Capricornids can be seen in a fleeting light show that promises to be historic.
A shower of shooting stars will be visible from midnight on Wednesday. Despite this, the National Geographic Institute of Spain also warns and recommends observing the sky on the night of July 30, the night before the official date.
Once the details of the double shooting star stream are revealed, all that remains is to pray that ideal viewing conditions will be created. Ideally, a clear night. It is also recommended to find a place away from light pollution from cities, as it will be easier to appreciate the stars there.
The double shower of shooting stars does not pose a danger to the public. Both will be visible from all over the country. To observe them perfectly, it is recommended to look at the darkest parts of the sky and always in the direction opposite to the position of the Moon, if there is one. Experts warn that it is best to lie down until the visa has completely acclimated to the darkness.
Why do shooting star showers occur?
It is believed that the July 2024 shooting star showers from the Delta Aquarid meteors may have their origins in Comet 96P Machholz, a short-period comet that orbits the Sun every 5 years.
Streams of shooting stars occur when planet Earth crosses the orbital path of a comet. This orbit is filled with particles from the comet’s tail, which burn up as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere at high speed. At this point, they create a glowing light known as a shooting star or meteor.
A group of falling stars is called a meteor shower. These showers seem to have one origin. In particular, there is a point from which all the stars seem to emerge, a point called the “radiant.” The location of this point is used to name the meteor shower, so the Delta Aquarids originate at the radiant point of a delta star, called the skate, belonging to the constellation Aquarius.