The annual Draconid meteor shower peaks this weekend, and viewing conditions are favorable this 12 months.
The Draconid meteor shower can be energetic from Oct. 6 to Oct. 10, with the height happening around Sunday (Oct. 8) or Monday (Oct. 9). This 12 months, the moon can be lower than 20% illuminated, offering fairly dark skies for skywatchers hoping to catch sight of just a few of those meteors streaking through the sky.
To see this shower, first locate the Draco constellation, from where the Draconids appear to originate (hence their name). From North America, look high to the northwest after sunset. For those who can locate Ursa Major, the Big Dipper, Draco can be about 30 degrees above it, or three widths of your fist at arm’s length. Otherwise, a stargazing app could assist you locate it. Discover a spot away from as much light as possible, arrange a cushty chair and permit your eyes time to regulate. With a little bit luck, you only might catch just a few of those “falling stars.”
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The Draconids are attributable to pieces of rock and ice trailing away from Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. Because it makes its way through our solar system, the comet leaves this debris behind it. When our planet passes through these “comet crumbs,” bits of them burn up in Earth’s atmosphere, creating the streaks of sunshine we call a meteor shower.
This relatively small comet is just around 1.24 miles (2 kilometers) across and orbits the sun every 6.6 years. The comet gets its name from its discoverers; it was first spotted on Dec. 20, 1900, by French astronomer Michel Giacobini on the Nice Observatory in France and later observed by Ernst Zinner on Oct. 23, 1913, in response to NASA Science.
The Draconids produced by the comet’s leftovers have placed on a show up to now, but they have been relatively quiet lately. The most efficient years occurred in 1933 and 1946, although 2011 was 12 months for the Draconid meteor shower as well.
For those who are hoping to catch a have a look at the celebrities of the Draco constellation or the rest within the night sky whilst you’re awaiting meteors, our guides to the best telescopes and binoculars are an amazing place to start out.
And should you’re seeking to snap photos of the meteor shower or the night sky basically, take a look at our guide on learn how to photograph meteor showers, in addition to our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.