DENVER (KDVR) — If you look toward the sky over the next couple of days, you might see meteors shooting across the dark of the night.
From Oct. 6 to Oct. 10, the Draconid meteor shower will be visible, with the best time to see the meteors coming right in the middle of the four-day stretch.
The Draconids, named after the constellation Draco, occur when Earth travels through a field of debris from Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. Comet 21P is made of ice and rock, and orbits the sun every 6.6 years. When Earth goes through the debris, the atmosphere burns up the particles, creating a meteor shower, according to Space.com.
How visible the meteors are is dependent on several factors. Recently, the meteor shower has been relatively quiet, with 1933 and 1946 being the years with the most activity. Thousands of meteors would streak across the sky.
Lesser, but still bountiful years occurred in:
- 1926
- 1952
- 1985
- 1998
- 2011
Space.com’s skywatcher Joe Rao said that the best showers seem to occur only when the Earth passes just inside Comet Giacobini-Zinner’s orbit shortly after the comet itself has gone by.
Oct. 6 and 7
Meteor sightings are possible on Oct. 6 and 7, but a full or near-full moon on both nights will light up the sky and make it more difficult to see the meteors.
Oct. 8
This night will be the peak viewing time for the meteor shower.
Oct. 9 and 10
The conditions will be worse than those on Oct. 8, but more favorable than on Oct. 6 or 7. It might be difficult to see, but the odd meteor sighting can occur.
Tips for viewing
When looking for cosmic activity, it is common to use a telescope or some other form of magnification apparatus, but for the meteor shower, the naked eye is your best friend.
You want to be able to see as much of the sky as you can.
To enhance your chances, it is recommended to travel to a location with zero or minimal light pollution and arrive as much as 30 minutes early to give your eyes the opportunity to adjust to the dark well.
Colorado dark sky locations
Being in complete darkness is key to seeing the shine of the meteors. Here are several areas that have been designated as dark sky locations in Colorado.
- Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
- Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
- Dinosaur National Monument
- Hovenweep National Monument
- Westcliffe and Silver Cliff
- Jackson Lake State Park
- Norwood
- Ridgway
Happy hunting!
Anthony Sutton is a business strategist and writer with a passion for management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. With years of experience in the corporate world, he shares insights on business growth, strategy, and innovation through management-opleiding.org.
