Look up next week! Draconid Meteor Shower will peak on Monday night – how to see shooting stars from the UK
If you’re an avid stargazer, don’t forget to mark your calendars for Monday evening. The Draconid Meteor Shower is set to peak on 9 October, providing a perfect opportunity to witness shooting stars from the UK. Unlike most meteor showers that are best viewed in the early hours, the Draconids are best seen in the evening, after nightfall. Experts predict that during the peak, there could be up to 10 meteors flying through the sky per hour. Here’s everything you need to know about the Draconid Meteor Shower and how you can catch a glimpse from your area.
The Draconid Meteor Shower gets its name from the constellation Draco and is most visible in the evening just after sunset. These meteors streak across the sky in various directions. To increase your chances of seeing the meteor shower, find a location with a clear view of the stars and minimal light pollution. Urban areas tend to have more light pollution, so it’s best to head to the dark countryside. Royal Observatory Greenwich suggests avoiding direct sources of light to fully adapt to the dark conditions and make fainter meteors more visible. There’s no need for binoculars or a telescope; just use your own eyes to take in the vast night sky.
The Draconid Meteor Shower will take place from 6-10 October this year, with the peak occurring on Monday, 9 October. Meteor showers are the result of the Earth moving through a cloud of cometary debris. In the case of the Draconids, these meteors originate from the debris of comet 21 P/Giacobini-Zinner. The constellation Draco, which lies above the Big Dipper and Polaris, the North Star, serves as the radiant point for this shower. While the Draconids are mainly visible in the Northern Hemisphere, they can still be seen in the Southern Hemisphere, especially near the equator, due to the radiant point nearly aligning with the head of Draco in the northern sky.
The rate of meteors during the peak of the Draconid shower depends on the intersection of Earth’s orbit with different parts of the comet’s trail each year, according to the Royal Observatory Greenwich. The Draconids are considered a “variable” shower, which means that the intensity and light display can vary greatly. In recent years, the Draconids haven’t produced significant outbursts, but in 1933 and 1946, they provided some of the most active displays of the 20th century.
Unfortunately, the forecast doesn’t look promising for Monday night, with widespread cloud cover over much of the UK. However, occasional breaks may occur in places like Eastern Scotland. If you miss the Draconids, don’t worry. There are several other meteor showers to look forward to this year, including the Orionids on 21 October, the Taurids on 12 November, and the Leonids on 17 November.
WHY DO METEORS MAKE A SOUND?
Meteors are fragments of space rock that enter the Earth’s atmosphere and burn up due to the friction created as they pass through. This friction not only produces the bright streaks of light we see in the sky but also generates sound. Some meteors generate a sonic boom as they break the sound barrier, similar to a fast-moving aircraft. However, since meteors can be at an altitude of over a hundred kilometers, the boom is often not heard until several minutes after the meteor is seen. Additionally, the boom is only audible if the meteor is large enough, enters the stratosphere below an altitude of about 30 miles (50 km), and explodes as a bolide or fireball. Some stargazers claim to have heard hissing and buzzing sounds along with seeing a meteor. This is because meteors emit very low-frequency radio waves that travel at the speed of light. Although these waves are inaudible, they can cause objects on the Earth’s surface to vibrate and produce sounds that may be interpreted as hissing.
Source: Daily Mail
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