Trio Of Summer Meteor Showers Underway

By Chris Spears

DENVER (CBS4) - It's been a few months since we've talked about meteor showers but three back-to-back events could potentially light up the late night and early morning sky over the next few weeks.

The annual summer show is already in progress with the Delta Aquarids which peak early in the morning on Friday, July 29.

Meteors from this shower appear to shoot out from a central point called a radiant, which is located near the star Delta Aquarii.

The best viewing time is between 2 and 4 a.m. in the southeast sky but they're visible as early as midnight local time.

Another meteor shower currently in progress is the Alpha Capricornids, which radiate from northwestern Capricornus. While these meteors are very limited in number they can sometimes be fairly bright.

The Capricornids peak in late July.

The third meteor shower of the summer is the Perseids, which are already in progress, but become more active in August, reaching a peak on the night of August 12 and early morning hours of August 13.

The Perseids can be found in the northeast sky and are most visible around midnight local time.

You can access a wonderful write up on all three meteor showers from Sky & Telescope by clicking here.

Meteorologist Chris Spears writes about stories related to weather and climate in Colorado. Check out his bio, connect with him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @ChrisCBS4.