Dueling meteor showers peaking Monday will be visible across the country

INDIANAPOLIS — July will end with quite a show as two meteor showers peak beginning Monday evening. Both showers should be visible across much of the country, as long as the skies cooperate.

The Delta Aquariids and the Alpha Capricornids will produce 20 to 25 visible meteors per hours, according to Accuweather.

Most of the east coast, a large swath of the central plains and portions of the west coast will have the best chance to see the showers Monday evening and early Tuesday morning, according to Accuweather

The meteors should remain visible through the first few days of August.

Delta Aquariids

The Delta Aquariid meteor shower puts on one long summer show in July and August, but it will peak at the end of July through late-August.

The meteor shower began July 12 and is active until Aug. 23.

Expect to see about 20 meteors per hour during the peak, traveling at 25 miles per second.

The Delta Aquariid meteors are fainter than others, and they're more apparent in the Southern Hemisphere, according to NASA. But stargazers can still see them in the Northern Hemisphere's southern latitudes. Some of the Delta Aquariid meteors leave glowing gas trails that linger for a few seconds after they burn up in Earth's upper atmosphere.

The Delta Aquariids will also be visible as they overlap with another meteor shower in August, the Perseids.

Alpha Capricornids

The Alpha Capricornids started around mid-July and will continue through the first part of August. According to the American meteor society, the Alpha Capricornids are not very strong and rarely produce more than five meteors per hour, although it is seen equally well on either side of the equator. Paired with the Delta Aquariid this week, those few meteors should help light up parts of the sky.

This story was originally published by Katie Cox on WRTV in Indianapolis.