The conditions are ripe for people to catch the Draconid meteor shower on Monday evening and into Tuesday morning. And Canadians won’t have to stay up late to catch it.
This particular meteor shower takes place in the evening and is most visible just after nightfall as opposed to happening early in the morning.
Jenna Hinds, executive director of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, told Global News the Draconid happens in October and occurs as the Earth passes through the debris left by the 21P/Giacobini-Zinner comet.
As a bonus, the moon be at just 27 per cent illumination, which will enable people to see the meteors better than they would during a brighter full moon.
“I will say the best time (for viewing) would probably be about an hour or an hour-and-a-half after sunset, depending where you are,” Hinds said. “You want it to be dark outside before you try to observe and it takes about an hour for it to get properly dark outside.”
She added that the moon will likely be about to set around this time period.
Unlike the Perseid or Geminid meteor showers, however, the Draconid typically produces only about 10 meteors per hour. For the best view, go to a location away from city lights.
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According to NASA, a meteor shower typically occurs when the Earth comes into contract with debris left behind by an asteroid or comet. When a meteor enter Earth’s atmosphere and falls to the ground, the resistance it meets in the air causes it to burn up, creating what many call a “shooting star.”
According to NASA, meteor showers are named after the constellation the meteors appear to be coming from. The Draconid shower gets its name because it appears to come from the the head of the constellation Draco, the dragon.
The benefit to the Draconid’s link to the Draco constellation is that it means most Canadians, whether in B.C., Nova Scotia or Nunavut, should be able to see shower, Hinds said.
“In general, the Draco constellation is right next to the Northern Star. So for us Canadians, we actually see Draco all year round and it’s at its highest point right after sunset these days,” she said.
“This is why this is such a good meteor shower for Canadians. This is the constellation that all the meteors seem to be emanating from is really well-placed overhead.”
As the Draconid may not have as many meteors per hour, Hinds also people should keep their eyes to the sky after Dec. 13 when the Geminid meteor shower is expected. About 120 meteors per hour will be seen in that display, likely creating more of a light show even with a full moon anticipated during the time.
The shower also is most likely to reach its best viewing time around 2 a.m. Eastern as opposed to just after sunset.
“It’s such a brilliant meteor shower and it has so many meteors per hour that it’s still worth going out seeing,” Hinds said.
