Draconid meteor shower 2017

The big show this weekend could be above us, as a potentially explosive meteor shower and a newfound comet blaze trails across draconid meteor shower 2017 night sky. This weekend you can watch celestial dragons spitting fireballs and a newfound comet blazing its own path across the night sky. The comet was spotted for the first time by the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae ASAS-SN in July and has since brightened drastically and moved to its current position in the sky ultron quotes the direction of the constellation Perseus, draconid meteor shower 2017, ideal for viewing from the northern hemisphere. It should be visible with a good pair of binoculars or a backyard telescope.

The Draconids are one of the most notable annual meteor showers, in some years producing several thousand meteors per hour like most meteor showers the number of Draconids varies from year to year. The shower is expected to peak on Saturday 7-Sunday 8 October , with best viewing in the evenings on these dates this will b the same wherever you are on Earth , though visibility will be hampered somewhat by a bright Moon, with peak meteor activity coming directly after the Full Moon on Friday 6 October. The Draconids take their name from the constellation of Draconis, with the meteors appearing to radiate from the mouth of the Dragon, between the stars Eltanin and Rastaban. Since this constellation is very high in the northern sky, the Draconids are an almost exclusively Northern Hemisphere phenomenon, which sightings from south of the equator being quite rare. The radiant point of the Draconid Meteor Shower. Planetary Society, India.

Draconid meteor shower 2017

Kirk is majoring in astrophysics while minoring in applied mathematics and piano at Boise State University. He spends his weekends working at the largest public observatory in Idaho, the Bruneau Sand Dunes State Park Observatory, where he gives educational astronomy presentations and operates various large telescopes for the public. Even in perfect viewing conditions, the Draconids usually only produce a few meteors an hour, but occasionally the Draconids have been known to erupt into an outpouring of meteors of hundreds or even thousands per hour. The Draconids are special among annual meteor showers for two reasons: Draconid meteors can be slow-moving and long-burning, and the constellation they appear to stream from, Draco, is highest in the sky in early evening. The peak of the shower this year falls during the day for those of us in the Western hemisphere so the nights of both the 7 th and the 8 th should produce similar displays of meteors. A Draconid disappears behind a tree in this image taken by a Canadian all sky camera. This large moon will rise shortly after sunset — use this nice tool to find moonrise and moonset times for your location — so your best bet to see the Draconids might be on the night of October 8 th , where the moon will rise more than a half an hour later than it does on the 7 th. Find a nice clearing where you can relax and stargaze for a few hours. Although the meteors may appear to originate from Draco, they will streak across the sky in all directions, so just lay back, relax, and watch until you spot a few. As meteors slam into our atmosphere they are superheated and vaporized, producing the brilliant colors we see in the night sky. As the comet gets closer to the sun and heats up, it sheds layers of itself into space, forming filaments of matter that the Earth later collides with.

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This scientific phenomenon gets its name from the Draco the Dragon constellation which lies in the far northern part of the sky. The meteors, associated with the Giacobini-Zinner Comet, mean they are sometimes known as the Giacobinids. The Draconid shower can best be seen during the evening just as night falls on Saturday, October 7 and Sunday, October 8. On these days there is reasonable chance of Earth travelling through a swarm of debris left behind the comet. When this happens meteors appear as bright shooting stars when they enter the Earth's atmosphere and burn up. The word "shower" suggests that many meteors will fall frequently, almost resembling rain.

Skip navigation! Story from Tech. September 29, , PM. October is most commonly associated with the excessiveness of pumpkin-flavored treats, single size servings of candy, orange and black everything , spooky haunted houses, and frenzied last-minute costume searches at Party City and Target. But there are two nights of the month when you should put your Halloween fervor aside and focus on the impressive show happening above you. At the beginning and end of the month, there are two meteor showers that will be worth looking up at: the Draconids in early October followed by the Orionids towards month's end. According to EarthSky , the Draconids will hit their peak on October 8, giving you the best chances at seeing more meteors. The shower's name is derived from the Draco constellation, where the meteors appear to originate in the sky.

Draconid meteor shower 2017

The big show this weekend could be above us, as a potentially explosive meteor shower and a newfound comet blaze trails across the night sky. This weekend you can watch celestial dragons spitting fireballs and a newfound comet blazing its own path across the night sky. The comet was spotted for the first time by the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae ASAS-SN in July and has since brightened drastically and moved to its current position in the sky in the direction of the constellation Perseus, ideal for viewing from the northern hemisphere. It should be visible with a good pair of binoculars or a backyard telescope. To spot it, use this sky map to know where to point your lenses and look for a light that is a little softer and more fuzzy than a star, perhaps with a little bit of a tail. No binoculars are needed to spot the "shooting stars" that will be spit from the mouth of the constellation Draco the Dragon this weekend, though. The Draconids come from the debris trail left in our cosmic neighborhood by the comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner. Since our whole planet is passing through that cloud right now, you don't actually have to look in the direction of Draco to see the meteors. Instead, just head outside from anywhere that's as dark as possible, let your eyes adjust then just lay back and look straight up at the night sky. Unlike many meteor showers, the Draconids should actually be more visible in the evening before midnight, so no need to stay up all night or get up before dawn.

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His encrypted email for tips is ericcmack protonmail. Kirk is majoring in astrophysics while minoring in applied mathematics and piano at Boise State University. The Draconids got their name because they radiate out from a constellation known as Draco the Dragon. Get the most out of StarTalk! Since our whole planet is passing through that cloud right now, you don't actually have to look in the direction of Draco to see the meteors. Next Post ». They are named for the constellation, but they also are known as the Giacobinids for Michael Giacobini, who first sighted the comet that spawned the meteor shower, 21P Giacobini-Zinner. The event derives its name from the constellation Draco the Dragon, which is the spot in the sky where the shower will begin, EarthSky reports. Eric uses his passion for writing about energy, renewables, science and climate to bring educational content to life on topics around the solar panel and deregulated energy industries. Science Becky Pemberton. The meteor shower usually has only has a "handful of languid meteors" per hour, even at its peak, according to Earthsky. What is a Draconid meteor shower and why does it occur?

According to space website Earthsky.

According to space website Earthsky. Scottish Sun. Find a nice clearing where you can relax and stargaze for a few hours. Typically, the Draconids aren't the most prolific shower, often yielding just a handful of streaking meteors per hour, but every now and then we get what the American Meteor Society calls a "Draconid Outburst" of up to several hundred shooting stars per hour. So head outside as soon as the sky gets dark on October 8, for your best chance to spot scores of shooting stars. Take a small telescope or pair of binoculars with you and observe the gibbous moon, or Saturn while you wait for meteors — both should be easy to see in the evening sky. Tips for viewing these visual treats are, avoid city lighting as this can interfere with your viewing experience, watch with your friends and family not just for safety but also for warmth! Since this constellation is very high in the northern sky, the Draconids are an almost exclusively Northern Hemisphere phenomenon, which sightings from south of the equator being quite rare. The Draconid meteor shower will hit its peak Saturday and Sunday, October We were spoiled last month with beautiful views of the Northern Lights from Calton Hill in Edinburgh. Irish Sun. In , for example, the shower produced more than meteors per hour. Eric Mack Contributing Editor. While it will be visible from October 2 through November 7, it's expected to peak on the night of October 20 through early morning on October The meteors, associated with the Giacobini-Zinner Comet, mean they are sometimes known as the Giacobinids.