Overview
- The Delta Aquáridas do Sul and the Alfa Capricornídeas are forecast to peak between the night of Thursday, July 30 and the early hours of Friday, July 31, with good visibility from Brazil and other Southern Hemisphere locations.
- The Delta Aquáridas can produce as many as about 25 meteors per hour on active nights while the Alfa Capricornídeas typically yield around five meteors per hour but are prone to bright, slow fireballs.
- The Sociedade Americana de Meteoros says the Moon will be roughly 98% illuminated at the peak, which will wash out many of the fainter meteors and lower on‑the‑ground counts.
- Brazil’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation advises observers to go to dark sites away from city lights, position the Moon behind trees or terrain, wait 20–30 minutes for eyes to adapt, use apps to find the radiants, and watch with the naked eye rather than telescopes.
- Both showers are recurring summer events active through mid‑August and weather and local light pollution will ultimately determine what viewers actually see, though the Alfa Capricornídeas’ brighter fireballs may still stand out despite moonlight.