THE DRACONIDS: LOOKING AT THE SKY IN EL MONTSEC

Joseph arriving to the Montsec Range

Today, Joseph de Ca'th Lon wants to talk about astronomy. He has travelled to the Astronomic Parc of Montsec in Àger, between the counties of La Noguera and Pallars Jussà in Lleida.

Joseph is going to explain us the origin of The Draconids, a phenomenon which happens every year during October.

The October Draconids, in the past also unofficially known as the Giacobinids, are a meteor shower whose parent body is the periodic comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. They are named after the constellation Draco, where they seemingly come from. Almost all meteors which fall towards Earth ablate long before reaching its surface. The Draconids are best viewed after sunset in an area with a clear dark sky.

More information: Parc Astronòmic del Montsec

The 1933 and 1946 Draconids had Zenithal Hourly Rates of 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 debris stream; for example, in 1998, rates suddenly spiked and spiked again, less spectacularly, in 2005. 

The Great Cluster in Hercules. A map of the sky.

A Draconid meteor outburst occurred as expected on 2011 October 8, though a waxing gibbous Moon reduced the number of meteors observed visually. 

During the 2012 shower radar observations 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.

Viewers in Northern America, Europe and Asia are the best situated to enjoy the Draconids. Those closer to the Equator in the Southern Hemisphere can also sometimes see few meteors from the Draconids.

While it is not necessary to look in a particular direction to enjoy a meteor shower, astronomers suggest locating the Draco the Dragon's 2 brightest stars, Eltanin and Rastaban. The meteor shower seems to emerge from the dragon’s head.

More information: El Consorci del Montsec

Unlike other meteor showers, the best time to view the Draconids is just after the Sun sets There isn’t a lot of skill involved in watching a meteor shower. Here are some tips on how to maximize your time looking for the Draconids:

Joseph in the PAM, Àger, La Noguera

• Get out of the city to a place where city and artificial lights do not impede your viewing.

• If you are out viewing the shower during its peak, you will not need any special equipment. You should be able to see the shower with your naked eyes.

• Carry a blanket or a comfortable chair with you, viewing meteors, just like any other kind of star gazing is a waiting game, and you need to be comfortable. Plus, you may not want to leave until you can’t see the majestic celestial fireworks anymore.

• Check the weather and moonrise and moonset timings for your location before you leave, and plan your viewing around it.where the meteor shower seems to come from - is highest in the sky during dusk. The shower peaks around October 7 and 8 every year.

Who are we? We find that we live on an insignificant planet of a humdrum star lost in a galaxy tucked away in some forgotten corner of a universe in which there are far more galaxies than people. 

Carl Sagan