Be ready for a fiery October 2015.
The Orionid meteor shower and the more powerful Draconid meteor shower are peaking this month… Fire in the sky.
During October there are two meteor showers of any importance: The Draconid and the Orionid meteor showers.
The Draconids peak in the night of October 8-9. This minor shower produces ten or less fireballs per hour. Best time to observe is between sunset and midnight when the constellation Draco is highest in the northern sky.
The stronger Orionid meteor shower will peak in the night of October 20-21, when the Earth passes through the remnants of Halley’s Comet. This shower produces about 20 or so yellow and green meteors per hour which disintegrate in our atmosphere at around 41.6 miles per second. Look for persistent dust trains as the fireballs blaze across the sky. Maximize your meteor sighting by observing between midnight and dawn.
Another rare astronomical phenomenon, the Planet Parade, is also currently under way. And that’s awesome.
[…] A day before another large meteor lit up the sky over the Strait of Gibraltar. Are these space rocks linked to the Draconid shower? […]
[…] the Draconid meteor shower peaks, followed by the Orionid end of October 2015. So expect more light and booms from the […]