Look Up! One of the Best Sky Shows of the Summer is Here 🌠
If you haven't looked up at the Arizona sky lately, this month is a great time to start.
During the last week of July, two meteor showers peak at nearly the same time—the Southern Delta Aquariids and the Alpha Capricornids. Together, they can produce 20–30 meteors per hour under dark skies, with the best viewing after midnight until dawn.
So where do these "shooting stars" come from?
They're not actually stars at all. They're tiny pieces of rock and dust—many no bigger than a grain of sand—left behind by comets as they travel around the Sun. Every July, Earth passes through these dusty trails. When the particles slam into our atmosphere at speeds of up to 90,000–150,000 mph, they heat the air around them and burn up, creating those bright streaks of light we call meteors.
The Southern Delta Aquariids are known for producing a steady stream of fast, faint meteors and are believed to originate from debris associated with Comet 96P/Machholz. The Alpha Capricornids are much smaller in number, but they're famous for something even better—slow-moving, brilliant fireballs that can light up the sky and leave glowing trails for several seconds. Those meteors come from debris left by Comet 169P/NEAT.
One of the best parts about living in Arizona is that you don't have to travel far to enjoy an incredible night sky. Some favorite local viewing spots include:
• Bartlett Lake – only about 45 minutes away with wide-open desert skies.
• Seven Springs Road north of Cave Creek – a favorite for local stargazers.
• Cave Creek Regional Park – great if you don't want to drive too far.
• Lake Pleasant – plenty of dark areas away from the marina lights.
• Payson and the Mogollon Rim – cooler temperatures and spectacular views of the Milky Way.
Bring a lawn chair, bug spray, and maybe a light jacket if you're heading to higher elevations. Give your eyes about 20 minutes to adjust to the darkness, skip the phone screen, and simply look up. No telescope is needed.
Who knows... you might even catch a fireball streaking across the Arizona sky.
Have a great afternoon,
Joy, Jen, Kim, Kathy, Coloradas, Maxfield, Dr Shriner and Dr Ring
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