Discover the busiest day and the origin of these meteors
With the entrance of autumn also comes the first great shower of stars of this time. The Draconids or Gicobinids are a meteor shower whose origin is in the periodic comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. Every year at the beginning of October you can see this wonderful shower of stars. The Draconids can be seen from all over the northern hemisphere from October 6 to 10, the night of maximum activity will be from October 8 to 9.
This meteor shower is known for being one of the most beautiful shows in the sky, because its meteors are among the slowest of how many showers exist. According to the Astronomical Association of Spain, these meteors travel the sky at 20 km/s, while other showers of this type travel at 70 km/s. The Draconids glide smoothly through the sky, unhurried.
The origin of the Draconids
Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner is the parent of this meteor shower. It is a periodic comet. According to the Astronomical Association of Spain, every two revolutions around the sun, the comet approaches the Earth and is observable, although it is around magnitude 9, that is, you have to use a telescope to see it. It enters the orbit of the Earth, Mars and its point of maximum distance is in the orbit of Jupiter.
How to see the Draconids
This year the moon will be almost full, in crescent phase and will set around 6 in the morning. Conditions are not very favorable due to the moon, so it is possible that you will miss some dim meteor. The Draconids can be seen from the northern hemisphere. To see them you must move away from the lights of the cities. The radiant, the point where shooting stars seem to start, is at the head of the Dragon constellation, very close to the brightest star in the sky above your head, Vega. To see them, follow a series of tips:
– Find a very dark place, away from city lights. Do not try to see the meteor shower inside the city.
– The rain is usually seen with the naked eye, you can use binoculars to see the persistent trail floating in the sky for a longer time, but you will lose the field of vision for the rest of the stars.
– It is advisable to direct the gaze towards the darkest areas, in the opposite direction to the position of the moon
– Get comfortable and enjoy, you can see the stars better lying down and wait for your eyes to get used to the dark.
For the end of October, the maximum activity of another meteor shower, the Orionids, is expected. The most special thing about this meteor shower is that they are visible to the naked eye from anywhere on the planet.
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