Draconids: Maps show where the best chances of seeing “tremendous show” are

Head to a dark place on Tuesday evening as this is the evening the Draconid meteor shower reaches its peak. With luck, this normally sleepy meteor shower could develop into a full-blown storm, with hundreds of meteors visible per hour.

The shower has been active since Sunday and will likely remain visible through Thursday, but Tuesday will provide the best viewing opportunity. Viewers across the U.S. will be able to see the display, especially in dark locations with minimal light pollution.

Best of all, you don’t even need a telescope – this brilliant display is visible to the naked eye. Unlike most meteor showers, which peak in the early morning hours, the Draconids can be seen right after dark and throughout the evening. This auspicious timing is because the radiation point – where the meteors appear to originate – is highest in the sky at nightfall.

Location and visibility for observing draconids

The Radiation Point of the Draconids is near the stars Eltanin and Rastaban in the constellation Draco. However, you don’t need to locate Draco – meteors can appear anywhere in the sky. Clear skies are crucial. So check your local weather forecast.

The National Weather Service sky outlook expects skies to remain relatively clear throughout the night in Texas, California and most southeastern states (except Florida). It also looks like it will stay clear in the Midwest overnight.

Check out the maps below to predict full cloud cover for Tuesday evening. The numbers at each location show the expected amount of opaque clouds (in percent) covering the sky, valid for the specified hour.

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This is how you see the Draconids

The best chance of viewing the meteor shower is in the evening and into the early morning hours from anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere. To get the best view, said Anna Gammon-Ross, senior planetarium astronomer at the Royal Museums Greenwich, London Newsweek that stargazer:

• Stay outside for at least 20 minutes to allow your eyes to adjust.
• If possible, find a darker location away from light pollution, but this is not essential.
• Lie down as you may be looking up for a long time.

No special equipment is required, but it can be cold so dress appropriately.

“If you want to take photos, use a wide-angle lens as the meteors can appear anywhere, with a high ISO sensitivity setting of ISO 3200 or more – shooting stars disappear in a second, so your camera needs to be just as sensitive to bring them to light to capture them,” said Darren Baskill, lecturer in physics and astronomy at the University of Sussex, UK Newsweek.

“The exposure time depends on how dark your sky is. If the sky is polluted, exposure times are limited to a few seconds, but if the sky is dark, 15 to 30 seconds can be used.”

Observing conditions are favorable on Tuesday as the moon is only in its first quarter, minimizing light influences. The moon sets a few hours after sunset, providing an uninterrupted view of the night sky.

Could we see a meteor storm?

The shower’s parent body, Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, creates this spectacle as its debris burns up in Earth’s atmosphere.

“The Draconids are typically an overwhelming meteor shower that produces shooting stars barely higher than the ambient temperature. But every few years he puts on a tremendous show,” Baskill said.

Baskill explained that in 1933, the Draconids formed a full-blown meteor storm, with several passing overhead every second.

“Although it’s unlikely we’ll see a show like this this year, there’s a chance we’ll see a few shooting stars every minute. Such numbers were last seen in 2018, 2012, 2011, 2005 and 1998, i.e. every six or seven years. “I had a great performance, which gives optimism for this year or next,” he said.

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