In the next few dozen hours, it is worth looking at the sky. We are waiting for the passage of meteors from the Draconids shower. Since the maximum of the phenomenon falls on Monday morning, it will be visible tonight. Will the weather be good?
On Monday, October 9, around 9 a.m. there will be a maximum of meteors from the Draconids shower. As Adam Hurcewicz from the fanpage “About space and astronautics – Adam Hurcewicz” reported via social media, the objects will be clearly visible the coming night. He explained that they owe their name to their origin, namely they may seem to us as if they were “flying out” from the constellation of Dragon.
“So much noise about the Draconids is caused by the fact that this meteor shower can surprise with an increased number of shooting stars! As was the case in 2011 and 2012, where ZHR [zenitalna liczba godzinna, ang. “zenithal hourly rate” – przyp. red], in a short time, only a few hours, amounted to 300! A much bigger spectacle took place in 1933 and 1946,” he said.
Associated with the periodic comet
The last time the Draconids were very active was five years ago. It was associated with the return of comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner to the vicinity of the Sun. Hurcewicz said that it is a periodic object that comes to our parts of the solar system approximately every 6-7 years. “The comet’s orbit is close to the Earth’s orbit and every year at the beginning of October our planet passes through the streams of material left by the comet,” he said.
It is difficult to predict how fast they will move across the sky. Their speed is estimated at 21 kilometers per second, so they won’t be very fast. The expert also added that in the evening their radiant (i.e. the place from which they fly) will be very high, almost at the zenith. In the morning you should look for them lower, above the northern horizon.
“Decide for yourself when you want to observe, although there will probably be more Draconids in the morning, because it will be closer to the maximum hour,” he concluded.
Will the weather be favorable for observations?
According to forecasts by the tvnmeteo.pl weather forecaster, the night will be cloudy and rainy in Silesia, Lubuskie Province, Western Pomerania and Greater Poland. Those staying in other regions will have a greater chance of seeing shooting stars. Beware, however, the night will be quite cold. In places, especially in the east of the country, the temperature may drop below 0 degrees Celsius.
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“About space and astronautics – Adam Hurcewicz”, tvnmeteo.pl
Main photo source: Shutterstock