Singaporeans who are willing to sacrifice some sleep may be able to spot shooting stars on the nights beginning 29 and 30 July 2026.
Two annual meteor showers, the Southern Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids, are reaching their peak activity around 30 July.
However, this is not going to look like someone switched on cosmic fireworks above your HDB block. A bright full moon, Singapore’s light pollution and possible cloud cover could make many of the meteors difficult to see.
Two Meteor Showers Are Peaking at Around the Same Time
The Southern Delta Aquariids are active from July to August, with their peak expected around 30 July.
The International Meteor Organization lists a theoretical maximum rate of about 25 meteors per hour under ideal conditions. These meteors are usually relatively faint and are best viewed from the southern tropics, which gives observers near Singapore’s latitude a reasonable geographical advantage.
At around the same time, the Alpha Capricornids will also reach their broad peak.
This is a weaker meteor shower that rarely produces more than five meteors per hour. However, it is known for occasionally producing bright fireballs, which are unusually bright meteors that may remain visible despite the moonlight and city lights.
The stated hourly rates are standardised estimates for extremely dark and clear skies. People watching from urban areas will probably see significantly fewer meteors, with the American Meteor Society noting that city observers tend to see only the brighter ones.
The Best Time to Look Up
For viewers in Singapore, the most practical periods would be after midnight on the night of 29 July, continuing into the early morning of 30 July.
You can also try again after midnight on the night of 30 July, continuing into the early morning of 31 July.
The Alpha Capricornids are expected to be best positioned at around 1am, while the Southern Delta Aquariids should be better positioned closer to 3am. Generally, the final few hours before dawn offer the best opportunity because the meteor showers’ radiant points will be higher in the sky.
A radiant is the area of the sky from which meteors appear to originate. You do not need to stare directly at it. Meteors can streak across different parts of the sky, so it is better to find a wide, unobstructed view and scan as much of the sky as possible.
NASA recommends finding a location away from street lights, lying back and allowing your eyes about 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness. No telescope is needed, since a telescope would actually restrict how much of the sky you can see.
Unfortunately, the Full Moon May Spoil the Show
The biggest problem this year is the Moon.
The full moon occurs at about 10.36pm Singapore time on 29 July. This means it will be extremely bright during both potential viewing nights.
The International Meteor Organization expects the Moon to be about 98 per cent illuminated during the night of 30 to 31 July and warns that the bright moonlight will severely compromise visibility.
Since the Southern Delta Aquariids generally produce faint meteors, many of them could be washed out. The brighter fireballs from the Alpha Capricornids may offer a better chance of being spotted.
Try positioning yourself so that the Moon is behind you or blocked by a building or tree, while keeping the rest of the sky unobstructed.
The Weather Could Still Cooperate
The Meteorological Service Singapore forecast afternoon thundery showers for 29, 30 and 31 July.
The forecast does not specifically indicate overnight rain, but clouds left behind after the showers could still affect visibility. Stargazers should check the latest two-hour weather forecast and rain radar before travelling anywhere to watch the sky.
In other words, the shooting stars may be there, but whether Singaporeans can actually see them depends on the Moon, clouds and how far they can get from the nearest brightly lit shopping centre.
Shooting Stars Are Not Actually Stars
Despite the name, shooting stars are not stars falling out of the sky.
Meteor showers happen when Earth travels through trails of dust and small particles left behind by comets or asteroids.
When these particles enter Earth’s atmosphere at high speed, they heat up and disintegrate, producing the streaks of light that we see as meteors.
The Southern Delta Aquariids are suspected to come from debris left by comet 96P/Machholz, while the Alpha Capricornids are associated with comet 169P/NEAT.
