It's almost time to catch summer's double meteor showers. The Southern Delta Aquariid and Alpha Capricornid meteor showers peak in the early morning of July 30. With minimal interference from moonlight, the meteors should appear bright and clear if viewed away from city lights. Each shower is expected to produce up to a dozen visible meteors per hour. The Alpha Capricornids may have tails that linger longer in the night sky. Viewing of each shower lasts through August 12. The next major meteor shower, the Perseids, will peak in mid-August.
Astronomers have discovered a strange new object in our Milky Way galaxy. The celestial object is emitting X-rays around the same time it's shooting out radio waves. Located 15,000 light-years away, scientists say this object could be a star, pair of stars or something else entirely. Findings were published Wednesday in the journal Nature. NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory spotted the X-ray emissions by chance last year while focusing on a supernova remnant, or the remains of an exploded star. The hyperactive phase of this object appeared to last about a month.
Twice a month, the San Mateo County Astronomical Society gathers in San Carlos’ Crestview Park to share a glimpse of the luminaries of the night sky.