October Meteor Showers

Perhaps you were one of the fortunate observers who finally viewed a few of the Perseids back in mid-August. It seems some folks caught quite a number of them on the Friday night of August 10, two days before either of the two known peaks this meteor shower can display. That's good, because on the next night the number of meteors seen was fairly small. Then, depending upon your location in southern New England, many of us were beset by clouds in the early morning hours of the 13th when the peak of activity was to occur.

In a few hours of observing during the early morning of Sunday the 12th, I only counted less than a dozen Perseids. Many of the shooting stars I did see originated from the north-east near the constellation Perseus and streaked down the Milky Way. It was good to see a few bright Perseids after all the many years we have been clouded or mooned out.

Well, October provides us with two meteor showers that are well worth your time to observe.

First up is the Draconids. Though this shower of cometary particles is a minor one, the Moon will be in a waning crescent phase (a couple of days before New) on the night of peak activity, October 8-9. Therefore it will not hinder observation of the faintest of the meteors, provided you observe from a dark sky location.

Look towards the northern sky during the early evening hours of the 8th, for the constellation Draco is highest in the sky at that time. The meteors will appear to radiate from that direction. Locate the Big Dipper (Ursa Major), and you'll be looking in the right direction. The Draconids are fairly slow moving meteors, hitting our atmosphere at only 12.5 miles per second. Expect a maximum of no more than ten meteors per hour during the peak.

The second meteor shower of the month is a major shower of shooting stars, the Orionids. On the night of October 20-21, these remnants of Halley's Comet intercept the Earth's orbit nearly head- on at 41.6 miles per second. Unfortunately the waxing Moon (just past First Quarter), will brightly illuminate the sky until it sets around midnight, thereby hindering our view of all but the brightest of these fast shooting stars until it does so.

I would begin observing around midnight. Locate the mighty hunter Orion in the sky. Earlier in the evening this giant constellation will be in the east-southeast sky. As the night progresses Orion will rise higher and higher, and so will the point in the sky from which the meteors will appear to radiate. At approximately 3:30 am Orion will be due south of your location and about halfway up off the southern horizon.

Typically the shower produces about 15-20 yellow and green meteors per hour during peak. They are also noted for producing fireballs that create persistent dust trains high in the atmosphere. You may get lucky and see a few of the brighter meteors as they disintegrate.

If you begin observing before the Moon sets, by all means block its bright glare by using some trees or buildings as a shield. The greatest number of meteors will be seen once the Moon dips below the western horizon.

In addition, while looking at Orion, please notice a bright red star-like object up and to the left of Orion, nestled among the stars of Gemini. This object is not a star, but our neighboring planet Mars. Mars will be closest to the Earth in December (about 57 million miles). This close approach, called opposition, will not be a grand one, but I will write a future column about what one might see through the larger telescopes at Ladd Observatory in Providence and at Seagrave Observatory in North Scituate.

Remember, Seagrave Observatory is open to the public every clear Saturday night (except September 29). Check our web site at http://www.theskyscrapers.org for further information, and always keep your eyes to the skies.