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On Tuesday and Wednesday ( Oct. 8 and 9 ) , the night sky may be pelt with " scud stars " during the annual Draconid meteoroid shower .
Although it ’s not expected to be one of theyear ’s best meteor showers , a special feature of speech of the Draconids pretend them tremendously appealing to skywatchers : While most meteoroid showers are good observed in the early predawn hours , Draconid meteors can appear anytime after dark .
A Draconid meteor falls to Earth as auroras dance through the sky.
That ’s because their radiant period — the configuration from which they appear to originate — is Draco , the Draco , which can be found in the northern sky . Draco is a circumpolar configuration , meaning it appear to roll aroundPolaris , the North Star , once every 24 hour . Draco is , therefore , always visible in the Northern Hemisphere under clear sky .
According to theAmerican Meteor Society , the Draconids are a variable shooting star shower , intend a modest show of shoot stars is ask , with a slight chance of hard activity . The Draconids typically raise about 10 shooting star per hour during the exhibitor ’s peak , according toEarthSky.org . That make the evening of Oct. 8 an excellent opportunity to go stargazing with the potential to see a few shooting stars .
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As one of the largest northern constellation , Draco is best visualise this time of the yr as a zigzagging serpent ’s tail , form a vague omega contour above the Big Dipper in the Union - northwest sky . The constellation is home to inscrutable - sky survey , let in thestunning Cat ’s Eye Nebula(NGC 6543 ) , the Tadpole Galaxy ( UGC 10214 ) and the Spindle Galaxy ( M102 ) , according toConstellation-Guide.com .
The timing for the vizor of the Draconid meteor shower is favorable for skywatchers . On Oct. 8 , a full crescent moonlight will be visible with Venus in the west , which will sink a few hours after sundown . That means it does n’t matter when you look north , since there will be little Moon to decolourize the sky .
Like all meteor showers , the Draconids occur whenEarthpasses through a swarm of rocky debris left behind by a comet . In this case , that ’s Comet 21P / Giacobini - Zinner , which pass through thesolar systemand crosses Earth ’s orbit once every 6.5 old age , according toNASA .
