If you’re up late this week and lucky enough to have clear skies, you might catch nature’s own fireworks show – two meteor showers lighting up the Australian night sky.

Introducing the The Southern Delta Aquariids and the Alpha Capricornids meteor showers. Both are courtesy of the dusty trails left behind by two ancient comets – the 96P/Machholz comet is responsible for the Aquariids, and 169P/NEAT comet brings the Capricornids. And as Earth moves through this space litter, the bits slam into our atmosphere at high speed, creating the light show.

So rug up, look up, and enjoy this cosmic event. And if you miss it – don’t worry. The best meteor shower of the year, the Geminids, arrives in December.

Night owls are in luck: This is the best time to watch it

Both the Southern Delta Aquariids and the Alpha Capricornids are both peaking between Tuesday and Wednesday this week (29–30 July 2025).

The best time to watch is from 11pm till dawn, with a higher chance of seeing meteors around 2am, when their origin point (called the radiant) is highest in the sky.

Here's how to see it (and you won't need special equipment)

The great news? You don’t need a telescope or binoculars – just your eyes. These meteors, also known as "shooting stars," are tiny pieces of space dust from old comets that burn up when they hit Earth’s atmosphere. That’s what causes the bright streaks of light.

The Southern Delta Aquariids are the stronger of the two showers, producing up to 20 meteors per hour. They move fast and leave faint but beautiful trails. The Alpha Capricornids are fewer — about 5 per hour — but they can surprise viewers with slow, bright fireballs.

To get the best view, find a dark spot away from city lights, lie back on a blanket or chair, and give your eyes at least 15 to 30 minutes to adjust to the dark (put that phone away!). A stargazing app (like Night Sky or SkySafari) can help you locate Aquarius and Capricornus, the constellations these meteors appear to come from.