2023-10-09 17:22:15
For hobby astronomers and night owls, it’s worth looking at the starry sky next night. Because like every year at this time, the Draconid meteor swarm is approaching. Anyone who looks towards the northwest after sunset (8 p.m.) has the chance to see a few shooting stars per hour in the sky with the naked eye.
However, you will probably only be able to catch the brightest meteors, provided the clouds don’t block the view. Only a few Draconids trace their traces into the sky every hour. Because the shooting stars travel slowly, they are easy to see. In addition, this year the light from the waning crescent moon is only slightly disturbing.
The autumn shooting stars get their name from the constellation “Dragon” because they seem to come from this direction. In fact, the meteors come from the immediate vicinity of the Earth. On its orbit around the sun, our planet regularly crosses the orbit of comet “21P/Giacobini-Zinner” at this time, which is why this meteor shower is also called the Giacobinids. This year, only a maximum of ten events per hour can be expected. However, there have been exceptional years with significantly higher event rates. In general, the frequency with which the Draconids appear is difficult to predict.
Ulf von Rauchhaupt Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 36 Horst Rademacher Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 16 Published/Updated: Recommendations: 12
The Draconids are not the only swarm of shooting stars This month: The Taurids appear around October 13th. And on the night of October 21st to 22nd, the Orionids are at their peak. It provides an overview Meteor Stream Calendar the World Meteorological Organization IMO. By the way, you don’t need any special equipment for observation. A warm blanket, a deck chair and good all-round visibility without artificial light are enough.
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