August 2020 Meteor Shower Tonight: Southern Delta Aquariids, Alpha Capricornids, Perseids

Three different meteor showers will stream across the night sky on different dates between tonight through August 6, 2020, with the southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower and the Alpha Capricornid meteor shower appearing from the south and the Perseid meteor shower appearing from the north.

Southern Delta Aquariid Meteor Shower July 2020

The southern Delta Aquariids are active from July 12 until August 23.

This meteor shower can produce up to 25 meteors per hour on the peak night of July 28, 2020.

The Delta Aquariids can be viewed in the Southern Hemisphere and southern latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.

The southern Delta Aquariids appear after midnight until an hour before sunrise.

These meteors appear to originate to the south from the constellation Aquarius which gives the meteor shower its name.

Alpha Capricornid Meteor Shower August 2020

The Alpha Capricornids are active from July 3 through August 15.

These meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Capicornus which gives the meteor shower its name.

The Alpha Capricornid meteor shower produces slow and bright meteors up to 5 per hour and often produce fireballs.

The Alpha Capricornid can be best viewed in the Southern Hemisphere.

Perseid Meteor Shower July and August 2020

The Perseid meteor shower is active from July 17 through August 24, 2020, and will peak on August 11th and 12th.

The Perseid Meteor Shower produces more fireballs than any other meteor shower.

Skywatchers should be able to see between 60 and 70 meteors per hour at the peak.

The best time to see the Perseids is between midnight and dawn.

The Perseids meteor shower will be visible almost all over the world but will be best seen in the northern hemisphere.

The Perseids appear to come from the constellation Perseus which gives the meteor shower its name.

How To Watch Tonight’s Meteor Showers

Lie on your back and look straight up.

Allow about 45 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark (be sure to put your smartphone out of sight).

A full moon on August 3, 2020, will wash out the meteor showers.

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