Experience the Draconid Meteor Shower This Evening
By CNN – Keep your eyes on the night skies to catch the elusive Draconid meteor shower, which is expected to peak Monday evening into early Tuesday.
Unlike many meteor showers, the Draconids are best viewed just after nightfall and throughout the evening hours, rather than in the early morning. According to EarthSky, the moon will be only 27% illuminated, enhancing visibility for the faint meteors once night falls.
However, the Draconid meteor shower tends to be on the sparse side, with expectations of around 10 meteors per hour, peaking at around 11 p.m. ET on Monday.
Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through debris trails left by comets and asteroids, releasing rocks and ice as they orbit the sun. The Draconids result from Earth intersecting the trail of the comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner each October.
Named after the constellation Draco the Dragon, the Draconids are sometimes referred to as the Giacobinids, in homage to comet discoverer Michel Giacobini, who first spotted it in 1900.
The Draconid meteors are relatively slow, moving at a pace that allows them to be visible for one to two seconds.
Will You Experience a Meteor Storm?
While the Draconids are typically regarded as a “sleepy” meteor shower compared to some of the larger and more prolific showers, they can still surprise stargazers. An outburst of meteors, known as a meteor storm, can occur if the comet’s debris is concentrated along its path, possibly allowing hundreds or even thousands of meteors to be visible each hour. There have been notable meteor storms caused by the Draconids in 1933, 1946, and again in 2011, when sky-gazers reported over 600 meteors an hour.
The comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner orbits the sun approximately every seven years. Its last close approach to Earth in September 2018 coincided with reported outbursts during the meteor shower, with the next close encounter set for 2025. However, surprises can still happen in the years between.
Viewers in the Southern Hemisphere might have a limited view of the shower, as the Draco constellation doesn’t rise above the horizon in that region, according to EarthSky.
Viewing Tips for Stargazers
The best way to watch the meteor shower is to lie back in a reclining lawn chair or simply on your back, providing a wide view of the sky. No special equipment is required, but optimal conditions include being far away from artificial light. According to NASA scientists, moving to a less populated area can significantly increase the number of visible meteors, potentially tripling your experience.
Don’t forget to bring your camera! Meteor showers offer fantastic opportunities for time-lapse videos and long-exposure photography.
Upcoming Celestial Events
The next full moon, also known as the Hunter’s Moon, will occur on October 17, marking a supermoon, the closest of the year at 222,095 miles (357,428 kilometers) away. Following this, the Beaver Moon will take place on November 15, and the last full moon of the year, known as the Cold Moon, is slated for December 15.
There will be a busy meteor shower season to close out 2024. Here are some key upcoming dates to mark on your calendar, according to the American Meteor Society:
- Orionids: October 20-21
- Southern Taurids: November 4-5
- Northern Taurids: November 11-12
- Leonids: November 17-18
- Geminids: December 13-14
- Ursids: December 21-22
