As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
A Draconid meteor is up to Earth as auroras dance through the sky.
(Image credit: Getty Images )
On Tuesday and Wednesday(Oct. 8 and 9), the night skies might be peppered with “shooting stars” throughout the yearly Draconid meteor shower.
It’s not anticipated to be one of the year’s finest meteor showersan unique function of the Draconids makes them extremely attracting skywatchers: While the majority of meteor showers are best observed in the early predawn hours, Draconid meteors can appear anytime after dark.
That’s since their glowing point– the constellation from which they appear to stem– is Draco, the dragon, which can be discovered in the northern sky. Draco is a circumpolar constellation, indicating it appears to focus on Polaris, the North Staras soon as every 24 hours. Draco is, for that reason, constantly noticeable in the Northern Hemisphere under clear skies.
According to the American Meteor Societythe Draconids are a variable meteor shower, indicating a modest display screen of shooting stars is anticipated, with a small possibility of strong activity. The Draconids generally produce about 10 meteors per hour throughout the shower’s peak, according to EarthSky.orgThat makes the night of Oct. 8 an exceptional chance to go stargazing with the prospective to see a couple of shooting stars.
Related: The very best meteor showers of 2024 are yet to come. Here are the essential nights to look for.
As one of the biggest northern constellations, Draco is finest imagined this time of the year as a zigzagging snake’s tail, forming an unclear Z shape above the Big Dipper in the north-northwest sky. The constellation is home to deep-sky sights, consisting of the sensational Cat’s Eye Nebula (NGC 6543), the Tadpole Galaxy (UGC 10214) and the Spindle Galaxy (M102), according to Constellation-Guide. com
The timing for the peak of the Draconid meteor shower agrees with for skywatchers. On Oct. 8, a waxing crescent moon will show up with Venus in the west, which will sink a couple of hours after sundown. That implies it does not matter when you look north, because there will be little moonlight to bleach the sky.
Get the world’s most remarkable discoveries provided directly to your inbox.
Like all meteor showers, the Draconids take place when Earth goes through a cloud of rocky particles left by a comet. In this case, that’s Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, which travels through the planetary system and crosses Earth’s orbit as soon as every 6.5 years, according to NASA
Jamie Carter is a self-employed reporter and routine Live Science factor based in Cardiff, U.K. He is the author of A Stargazing Program For Beginners and lectures on astronomy and the natural world. Jamie frequently composes for Space.com, TechRadar.com, Forbes Science, BBC Wildlife publication and Scientific American, and numerous others. He modifies WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com.
Many Popular
Find out more
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
