How to see the Draconid meteor shower peak tonight

This yr, the Draconid meteor bathe is going on between 6 and 10 October, with its peak anticipated on 9 October. The Draconids are one of many much less energetic meteor showers and are solely seen from the northern hemisphere. If you might be in the precise space, it’s nonetheless price wanting as a result of there shall be little moonlight across the time of the height, because of the moon being in its final quarter, so in case you have darkish and clear skies you’ll be able to anticipate to see about 10 meteors per hour.

What are meteor showers?

Meteors are flashes of sunshine attributable to particles from area crashing into our environment. Showers of them occur when Earth passes by clouds of fabric left within the wake of comets. These tiny grains of mud or rock enter the environment at such excessive speeds that the friction between them and the air makes them fritter away, producing a flash throughout the sky. Most of the items of particles that trigger meteors are concerning the measurement of a grain of rice.

The Draconids are attributable to the particles left by comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, which takes round 6.5 years to orbit the solar and final handed by Earth in 2018. Because the meteors come from this comet, the show is also referred to as the Giacobinids.

How can I watch the Draconids?

As with any meteor bathe, you don’t must pinpoint its supply to see it. The meteors will fly throughout the sky in all instructions, however this one is known as after the constellation it radiates from: Draco.

The finest approach to watch is to select a night with no cloud and go someplace away from mild air pollution, with the optimum time normally simply after midnight. Lie or sit again and watch the sky, ready for flashes of sunshine to streak throughout it. You will know when you see a meteor as a result of they transfer throughout the sky in a matter of seconds.

How do I discover Draco?

One approach to discover the constellation Draco, the place the meteors radiate from, is to make use of a set of stars referred to as the summer time triangle. This is made up of three brilliant stars – Altair, Deneb and Vega – and it’s seen within the east as quickly because the solar has set. Draw a line from Altair, the closest star within the triangle to the horizon, to Vega, the star within the prime proper, then carry on going and you’ll quickly attain Draco.

Another approach to discover Draco makes use of the constellation Ursa Major, particularly the sample inside it referred to as the Plough or the Big Dipper. Follow the road made by becoming a member of the 2 outer stars of the bowl of the Big Dipper to the pole star, Polaris. Once you get to Polaris, draw an imaginary line perpendicular and to the left, and this factors in direction of Draco.