Draconids
Draconids (DRA) | |
---|---|
Pronunciation | /drəˈkoʊnɪdz/ |
Parent body | 21P/Giacobini-Zinner[1] |
Radiant | |
Constellation | Draco (constellation) |
Right ascension | 17.467h[1] |
Declination | +54°[1] |
Properties | |
Occurs during | October 6 – October 10 |
Date of peak | October 8 |
Velocity | 20[2]km/s |
Zenithal hourly rate | variable[1] |
TheOctober Draconids,in the past also unofficially known as theGiacobinids,are aNorthern hemispheremeteor showerwhose parent body is the periodiccomet21P/Giacobini-Zinner.They are named after the constellationDraco,where they seemingly come from. Almost all meteors which fall towards Earthablatelong before reaching its surface. The Draconids are best viewed after sunset in an area with a clear dark sky.
The 1933[1][3][4]and 1946[1]Draconids hadZenithal Hourly Ratesof thousands of meteors visible per hour, among the most impressive meteor storms of the 20th century. Rare outbursts in activity can occur when the Earth travels through a denser part of the cometary debrisstream;for example, in 1998, rates suddenly spiked[5][6]but only increased modestly in 2005.[7]A Draconid meteor outburst occurred[8]as expected[9][10][11]on October 8, 2011, though a wa xinggibbous Moonreduced the number of meteors observed visually. During the 2012 shower radar observations (which detect smaller and fainter meteors) detected up to 1000 meteors per hour. The 2012 outburst may have been caused by the narrow trail of dust and debris left behind by the parent comet in 1959.[12]
Date | Stream | ZHR |
---|---|---|
1933-Oct-09 | 1900 | 6000[1] |
1946-Oct-09 | 1900 | 3000[1] |
1952-Oct-09 | 174 (radar)[1] | |
1998-Oct-08 | 720[6] | |
2005-Oct-08 | 1946 | 150 (radar) / 40 (visual)[7] |
2011-Oct-08 | 1900[13] | 300[8] |
2012-Oct-08 | 1959 | 1000 (radar)[12] |
2018-Oct-08 | 1952 | 150[14] |
References
[edit]- ^abcdefghiKronk, Gary W."Draconids (" Giacobinids ")".Meteor Showers Online.Archivedfrom the original on 2018-06-27.Retrieved11 October2017.
- ^Żołądek, P.; et al. (October 2009), "The 2004 Perseid meteor shower – Polish Fireball Network double station preliminary results",Journal of the International Meteor Organization,37(5): 161–163,Bibcode:2009JIMO...37..161Z
- ^"The meteors from Giacobini's comet", Wylie, C. C.,Popular Astronomy,Vol. 42, p. 44,"The meteors from Giacobini's comet".Retrieved2018-09-25.
- ^John McFarland and Mark Bailey (October 7, 2011)."Account of the 1933 Draconids meteor storm".International Meteor Organization (IMO).Retrieved2011-10-08.
- ^"Giacobinids dazzle observers".October 14, 1998. Archived fromthe originalon November 24, 2009.RetrievedJuly 12,2017.
- ^abArlt, R."Summary of 1998 Draconid Outburst Observations",WGN, Journal of the International Meteor Organization, Vol. 26, p. 256-259,1998.
- ^abCampbell-Brown, M.; Vaubaillon, J.; Brown, P.; Weryk, R. J.; Arlt, R."The 2005 Draconid outburst",Astronomy and Astrophysics,Volume 451, pp. 339–344, 2006.
- ^ab"Draconids show expected outburst".International Meteor Organization (IMO). Archived fromthe originalon 2011-12-13.Retrieved2011-12-06.
- ^Adrian West (October 3, 2011)."The Draconid Meteor Shower – A Storm is Coming!".Universe Today.Retrieved2011-10-03.
Observers in the UK and Northern Europe are ideally placed to see the peak of the Draconids. Unfortunately the peak occurs in the day time for North America. There will also be a bright Moon which may drown out many but the brightest meteors, but if predictions are correct, you will still see many. You may see Draconid meteors on the 7th and the 9th also, so it is worth going out and checking the skies.
- ^"Draconids Meteor Shower on 8 October 2011".International Meteor Organization.Archived fromthe originalon 25 September 2011.
- ^Beatty, Kelly."A Deluge of Draconids?".Sky and Telescope.Highlights.Archivedfrom the original on 2010-10-11.Retrieved31 December2010.
- ^abGeert Barentsen (2012-10-08)."Draconids show outburst (again!)".Retrieved2012-10-08.
- ^"IMCCE Meteor Shower Ephemerides: 2011 Draconids".IMCCE. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-07-21.
- ^"2023 Meteor Shower Calendar"(PDF).International Meteor Organization.
- Michael D. Reynolds.Falling Stars.Stackpole Books, 2001. p. 42.
- Jun-Ichi Watanabe and Mikiya Sato."Activities of Parent Comets and Related Meteor Showers".Earth, Moon, and Planets, Vol 102, No 1-4 (June 2008). p111-116.
External links
[edit]- Draconid Meteors Over Spain(Astronomy Picture of the Day2011 October 19)
- The 2012 Draconid Storm Potentially Sampled By NASA ER-2 AircraftArchived2016-03-04 at theWayback Machine(item 12)