Tonight Only: Double Meteor Shower Will Be Visible

Two concurrent but separate meteor showers should be visible late Monday night, for a total of 20 to 25 meteors per hour. Viewing conditions are good now because the Southern Delta Aquariids and the alpha Capricornids are both active, and the waning crescent moon will only be 6% full, Space.com reports. The alpha Capricornids shower is equally visible on either side of the equator, per CBS, while the best places to see the Southern Delta Aquariids are in the Southern Hemisphere or the southern portions of the Northern Hemisphere. The latter can bring about 20 meteors per hour, NASA says, moving at about 25 miles per second.

Clouds shouldn't be a problem for viewers in the eastern US, which should get a good look, Accuweather says, but city lights will compete with the meteor display. Conditions will be best between midnight local time and dawn Tuesday. Earthsky.org recommends finding an open area away from a city, lying on a blanket to see as much of the sky as possible, and allowing at least 20 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark. Have members of your group look in different directions, and commit at least an hour to sky-watching. Another good shower, the Perseids, should be visible on the night of August 12. (More meteor shower stories.)