Stargazers can expect two meteor showers with a rare double dose of celestial action this month. October is poised to be an excellent month for show-stopping celestial phenomena from the Draconids and Orionids.
October might be one of the busiest for astronomical events this year. Most occurrences will be simple to observe without the need for high-tech cameras or telescopes.
While the International Meteor Organization includes a number of meteor showers that may be observed, the ones listed below are the ones that are most likely to be visible this year. Peak dates may shift throughout the year as astronomers revise their predictions.
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 20: Stars illuminate the sky outside the window of a home on a clear night in Forest Hill on April 20, 2020 in London, England. The clear skies created by the New Moon coincide with the Lyrid meteor shower, an annual display caused by the Earth passing through a cloud of debris from a comet called C/186 Thatcher.
Draconid Meteor Shower
As the Draconid meteor shower approaches its height, the first whole week of October will be filled with sparks in the sky.
The Draconids, unlike many other annual meteor showers, are best seen in the evening, shortly after sunset, instead of in the second half of the night, when many people are asleep.
Although the shower only generates five to ten meteors each hour, this makes it an excellent meteor shower for younger stargazers who can't stay up late.
Most meteor showers, according to EarthSky, have a large peak that lasts two or three nights, while the Draconids' peak is brief. This meteor shower is happening on Friday, Oct. 8.
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Orionids Shower
The Orionids will peak less than two weeks after the Draconids in what is usually one of autumn's finest meteor showers, AccuWeather said.
Most meteor showers are caused by comet debris, and the comet that causes the yearly Orionids is none other than the well-known Halley's Comet. The comet, on the other hand, is not expected to reappear in the night sky until 2061.
Normally, at the height of the Orionids, observers may count roughly 20 meteors per hour, but this year's viewing will be hampered by the moon's brightness. All night long, the almost full moon will shine brightly, making it harder to view the fainter shooting stars.
On the night of Wednesday, Oct. 20, and into the early hours of Thursday, Oct. 21, skygazers should look for shooting stars in a dark area of the sky away from the bright moon.
How to Watch
Getting to a position with a great view of the entire night sky is the best method to watch a meteor shower. That would ideally be somewhere dark, away from city lights and traffic. Look for a location with a broad, unobstructed view to increase your chances of seeing the performance.
The New York Times said meteor showers are visible in bits and pieces for a short time, although they are most visible from twilight to dawn on a few days. The Earth's orbit passes through the thickest section of the cosmic stream on those days. Meteor showers can have a wide range of peak times, with some lasting only a few hours and others lasting many nights. Showers are most noticeable after midnight and before sunrise.
The easiest way to detect a meteor shower is to use your naked eye. The field of vision of binoculars or telescopes is usually limited. To acclimate your eyes to the lower light, you may need to spend around half an hour in the dark.
Stargazers should be aware that a meteor shower might be obscured by too much moonlight or bad weather. To discover if you'll get a decent display, look at the moon's phase and the weather forecast in your area.
If your local sky isn't lit up, meteor live streams, such as those provided by NASA or Slooh, are occasionally available online.
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