As recently reported by the National Aeronautical Space Agency or NASA, the Draconid meteor shower 2022 likely peaks between October 8 as well as 9, and will be best seen in the nighttime.
However, Hunter's Full Moon around Oct. 9 will obscure fainter meteors, keeping observing opportunities unfavorable for the Draconids this year. The spectacular meteor showers were created by Earth moving through debris - particles of rock and ice - left behind from Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner as it slowly moves throughout the solar system, visiting Earth once every 6.6 years (opens in new tab). On September 10, 2018, at 2:40 a.m., comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner approached perihelion or the phase in its orbit where it is closest to the sun, EDT (0640 GMT), only shortly after its neighboring points to Earth, as reported by Space.com.
Once countless numbers of "comet crumbs" pass through into the Earth's atmosphere, several burst into flames and shoot through into the horizon, technically becoming meteors. The majority of those space boulders burn up before reaching the earth's atmosphere, but a few may be big enough already to sustain the descent and impact as meteorites.
Despite meteor showers occurring just above everyone else in the air, they appear to originate from faraway constellations. As more of a result, every shower is called well after the constellation from where the meteors appear to emerge. Draco, the dragon, is a northern sky constellation for whom the serpentine tail sneaks in between Big and Little Dippers, as MSN reported.
Draconid Meteor Shower 2022
NASA added to the report that amateur astronomers might anticipate 10 to 20 meteorites per hour during Draconids in a typical year. Nonetheless, the full moon this October will most certainly overshadow the others. For this with the best chance of seeing meteors, go to the darkest area you can locate and spend at least 30 minutes adjusting one's eyes to the shadows. It is not necessary to use a telescope or spectacles to see the spectacle in the planet's atmosphere.
The Draconid meteor display in October is also recognized as the Giacobinids, and compared to many others, is transient. The radiant point of the Draconid meteor shower within that northern sky approximately aligns with the crest of the constellation Draco the Dragon.
Because of this, the Draconids are best seen through the Northern Hemisphere. Tracing rearward, the Draconid meteors emanate first from the head of Draco the Dragon, towards celestial stars Eltanin and Rastaban. The shower has been reported to swoop down hundreds or even thousands of meteorites every hour on rare instances when the height of the shower corresponds with the comet's perihelion, stated to a Space.com report.
This sky map shows the Draconid meteor shower's radiant, or the point from which the meteors seem to originate.
ALSO READ: Orionids Meteor Shower October 2022: When, Where to Watch the Show
Foreshadowing Light of Hunter Moon
The bright Hunter's Moon would therefore rise once more, attaining maximum light at 4:54 p.m. ET (8:54 p.m. UTC) (8:54 p.m. UTC). Similar to previous moon phases, the crescent will look too bright and full the night before and after the peak, providing skywatchers with equal opportunities to participate to bask in the fall moonlight.
Even though many lunar eclipse monikers are derived from Native American practices, the Hunter's Moon in October makes an exception. Both Hunter's Moon and September's Harvest Moon are linked to the vernal equinox - the ceremonial start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere and springtime in the Southern Hemisphere - based on the Farmer's Almanac, who wrote and published Native American lunar titles in the 1930s.
The new moon happens once a month when the sun, Earth, and moon intersect on an apparent 180-degree line. Since the moon's orbit differs from Earth's by around 5 degrees, the planet's satellite is generally slightly greater or lesser than Earth's shadow, allowing the sun's rays to illuminate the facing side of Earth.
The very next full moon will be November's Beaver Moon, commonly referred to as the Snow Moon, which rises on November 8, as Live Science reported.
RELATED ARTICLE: October's Full Moon Will Peak This Weekend Partially Outshining the Draconid Meteor Shower
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