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The Draconid meteor shower reaches its peak on Monday night. This shower is modest, but it is convenient to watch because these meteors come from the constellation Draco, the dragon, well placed in the northern sky and visible all night. You can start looking for draconids as soon as it gets dark on Monday night and watch until sunrise on Tuesday morning.
This shower can sometimes increase strength when its parent comet is nearby. The comet lays a new trail of dust while strolling in the sun. As mentioned last month, comet Giacobini-Zinner (21P) did it recently. But astronomers do not expect a big show this year because the dust trail is too far from the Earth. Expect less than 10 meteors per hour under a dark sky, less near the lights of the city.
Meanwhile, Comet 21P is still visible early in the morning. You can see it at the same time as the meteor shower that produces its dust. A good time to watch is around 4 am when it is located in the southeast sky. He is above and to the left of the bright star Sirius. Its brightness is always about 7th magnitude, so it should be visible in binoculars.
Discover the comet now as it heads south. Each day, it descends a little lower in the sky because its orbit carries it out of the internal solar system and beyond the orbit of Jupiter. Friday morning, the comet passes Sirius. You can find it to the left of this shining star.
Kevin D. Conod is responsible for the planetarium and astronomer at the Dreyfuss Planetarium at the Newark Museum. For updates on the night sky, call Newark Skyline at (973) 596-6529.
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