Draconid meteor shower 2017

The Draconid meteor shower is set to hit its peak this weekend, offering stargazers draconid meteor shower 2017 opportunity to see dozens of shooting stars blazing across the sky. This stunning celestial display, which is also known as the Giacobinids, takes place every year and is one of the two meteor showers to light up the skies in October.

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.

Draconid meteor shower 2017

The Draconid meteor shower will hit its peak Saturday and Sunday, October AP Photo. The Draconid meteor shower, which will hit its peak Saturday and Sunday, October , is not one of the most active annual showers. It compensates in part for that by coming early in the evening rather than after midnight, unlike many of the showier showers. Look for the Draconids at nightfall, before the waning moon rises, which will be soon after sunset on October 7 and 8. The shower isn't expected to be spectacular this week, probably a handful of meteors per hour. However, the Draconids can unexpectedly become real storm. In , for example, the shower produced more than meteors per hour. The Draconids appear to emanate from the mouth of the constellation Draco the dragon in the northern night sky. However, they will move across the entire sky, so pinpointing their origin point is not necessary for meteor-watching. 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. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By Marcus Schneck mschneck pennlive.

At Camera Obscura we have been viewing the city of Edinburgh and its skies since

At Camera Obscura we have been viewing the city of Edinburgh and its skies since Since we opened as a tourist attraction we have seen many incredible things like sun shine in Scotland, solar events and even the odd eclipse. We were spoiled last month with beautiful views of the Northern Lights from Calton Hill in Edinburgh. This is why we are so excited to tilt our head to the skies during October to hopefully catch a glimpse of both the Draconid and the Orionid Meteor showers. The Draconid meteor shower, also known as the Giacobinids , is the first of the 2 meteor showers to grace the skies in October.

Guides to the night sky. The Draconid meteor shower will be active from 6 October to 10 October, producing its peak rate of meteors around 8 October. Over this period, there will be a chance of seeing Draconid meteors whenever the shower's radiant point — in the constellation Draco — is above the horizon, with the number of visible meteors increasing the higher the radiant point is in the sky. From Riga the radiant point is circumpolar , which means it is always above the horizon and the shower will be active throughout the night. The radiant point culminates is highest in the sky before nightfall — at around EEST — and so the shower is likely produce its best displays soon after dusk, when the radiant point is still as high as possible.

Draconid meteor shower 2017

They are named after the constellation Draco , where they seemingly come from. Almost all meteors which fall towards Earth ablate long before reaching its surface. The Draconids are best viewed after sunset in an area with a clear dark sky. The [1] [3] [4] and [1] Draconids had Zenithal Hourly Rates of thousands of meteors visible per hour, among the most impressive meteor storms of the 20th century. Rare outbursts in activity can occur when the Earth travels through a denser part of the cometary debris stream ; for example, in , rates suddenly spiked [5] [6] but only increased modestly in During the shower radar observations which detect smaller and fainter meteors detected up to meteors per hour. The outburst may have been caused by the narrow trail of dust and debris left behind by the parent comet in

Teen chat ave

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. Sign in. 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. In , for example, the shower produced more than meteors per hour. Eric Mack. What are the Draconids? Tech Science old jasper hamill. When this happens meteors appear as bright shooting stars when they enter the Earth's atmosphere and burn up. However, the Draconids can unexpectedly become real storm. Although no such outburst is predicted this year , they are not always predictable and can be fantastic when they happen. 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. 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. Draconid meteors and a comet breathe fire into the sky. The Draconids got their name because they radiate out from a constellation known as Draco the Dragon.

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.

Look for the Draconids at nightfall, before the waning moon rises, which will be soon after sunset on October 7 and 8. KEEP your eyes on the sky this weekend because you could be in for a treat. Although no such outburst is predicted this year , they are not always predictable and can be fantastic when they happen. See also 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. Stargazers across the UK are well-placed to see the shower, along with those in North America and Asia. 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. 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. Newer Post Older Post Home. Image courtesy of EarthSky.