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End of July ends with a double meteor shower
Catch the peak of not one, but two meteor showers on the night of July 28-29. The Alpha Capricornids and Southern Delta Aquarids will be performing for the last full week of the month.
Accuweather
Astronomers are in for a treat this week: the draconid meteor shower is expected to peak on Friday.
Researchers say astronomers will have a clear and ideal view of the meteor shower this year, thanks to the crescent moon. The thin, waxing moon is expected to set before dark – an ideal time, as meteors are best seen when it is dark, according to the American Meteor Society.
The draconid meteor shower, also known as Giacobinides, appears every year in October, but unlike most meteor showers, it occurs earlier in the night. The shower is capable of spitting out hundreds of meteors per hour. In 2011, European astronomers witnessed more than 600 meteors per hour.
In 1933 and 1946, the rain was actually producing thousands of meteors per hour. But this kind of spectacle is the exception. Usually, the Draconid will produce a few flying meteors per hour.
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So where does the name Draconid come from? The ray of showers is similar to the head of the constellation Draco the Dragon. Draconid downpours are best seen from the northern hemisphere.
Fortunately, the stars fly “all over the sky,” so there is no need to find the exact coordinates of the constellation, according to EarthSky.
If you miss the draconid downpours, you can catch the Orionid downpours, which start in October and last until early November. The Orionid meteor shower will take place between October 2 and November 7. It will peak in the early morning of October 21.
Follow Gabriela Miranda on Twitter: @itsgabbymiranda
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