Draconids meteor shower will see dazzling ‘shooting stars’ light up the night’s sky
Celestial spectacle peaked on Tuesday night but will also be visible after sunset on Wednesday and Thursday
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The 2019 Draconids meteor shower is set to light up the night’s sky on Wednesday, 9 October, with up to 50 “shooting stars” expected to be visible every hour.
Named after the constellation Draco, the annual event usually peaks in the first week of October and is best viewed after sunset in an area with a clear sky.
It is caused by the Earth passing through a cloud of space debris left behind by Comet Giacobini-Zinner and is usually visible to people on the ground for around four days. Meteors burning up through the Earth’s atmosphere is what gives the impression of shooting stars.
How impressive the spectacle is depends on a variety of factors, including how close Earth passes inside the comet’s orbit.
The most spectacular October Draconids took place in 1933 and 1946, when thousands of meteors were visible each hour.
For this year’s Draconids meteor shower, a full moon will make it harder to see some of the duller meteors, while clouds over the UK on Tuesday and Wednesday will obscure the sky.
The sky is expected to clear later in the week, with Thursday night perhaps offering the best opportunity for stargazers.
The National Space Centre described the Draconids as hit or miss when it comes to the intensity of the shooting stars.
“While the Draconids are normally quite a minor meteor shower, they have been known to produce spectacular outbursts of hundreds or even thousands of meteors per hour,” the organisation wrote in a blog post.
“We’re not expecting any outbursts in 2019, but meteor shower outbursts are notoriously hard to predict, so you never know.”
While best viewed from the Northern Hemisphere, the Draconids will also be visible to a lesser extent in the Southern Hemisphere.
The shower will also coincide with the more modest Southern Taurids, which will peak on Wednesday night and are best viewed from the Southern Hemisphere.
AccuWeather astronomy blogger Dave Samuhel described the Draconids as a “good shower for younger stargazers, especially since the shower peaks on a school night”.
Later in October will see the arrival of the Orionid meteor shower, which is expected to peak on Monday, 21 October.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments