October is another month during which we can observe many interesting astronomical phenomena. One of them is the meteor shower. Saturday 8 October is the peak of the draconid swarm, which means a great chance to see the so-called shooting stars.
Draconids (also known as Jacobinids) are a constant swarm of meteors that appear every year between October 6th and 10th. Their maximum falls on October 8th. On this day, with favorable weather conditions, you can witness a real astronomical spectacle and see many so-called shooting stars.
Draconids 2022 – how to watch?
The meteor shower is the rest of comet 21P / Giacobini-Zinner, that is, a periodic comet, belonging to the Jupiter family of comets. The comet was discovered in December 1900 by Michel Giacobini and rediscovered in October 1913 by Ernst Zinner. Its name is a tribute to the explorers.
We don’t need any special devices to observe the Draconids. Shooting stars will be visible to the naked eye in a cloudless sky. However, you can get, for example, an amateur telescope. It is also worth going to a place away from bright light and tall buildings.
Draconids 2022 – where to look?
The draconids have a radiant in the constellation of the dragon. This means that it is at this point that the swarm of shooting stars “diverges”. The constellation of the dragon is located in the northern sky and extends around Little Bear. It is at this point that we should be looking for the meteors.
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Karolina Modzelewska, journalist from Wirtualna Polska
