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fromLisa Klein
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Three celestial phenomena are about to turn in October: all cause meteor showers and thus breathtaking nights of falling stars.
In 2021 there are already many celestial phenomena to marvel at: the supermoon in April, bright stars across Lydia – also in April, partial solar eclipses in June, and most recently, many starry nights in August, thanks Perseids. Now there is not just one, but three more skyscapes in front of the door, which again cause meteor showers and many falling stars in the night sky: Draconids, Orionids and Taurids.
The Draconids’ meteor showers are short-lived: Meteor showers begin on October 4, how wetter.de mentioned. The shower peaks on the 8th of October and ends again on the 10th of October. The fireballs are parts of comet “21P/Giacobini-Zinner”. The Draconids owe the name of the constellation “Dragon” (Latin: Draco), from which they originated.
Shooting Star Nights in October 2021: Draconids, Orionids, and Taurids
In addition to the Draconids, there are actually two other phenomena in the sky in October, which caused a lot of stars falling in the sky: Orionids and Taurids. The Orionids meteorite begins on October 2, reaches its peak on October 21 and ends on November 7 – however, Orionids are smaller comet fragments than the Draconids, and they can still be observed. Orionids come from Comet “1P/Halley” and owe their name to the constellation Orion.
The third meteor in October is known as Tauriden, derived from the constellation Taurus (Taurus). A distinction is made here between northern and southern supply birds: southern trees are already active from September 10, reach their maximum on October 10 and end on November 20. The northern regions don’t start until October 20, peak on November 12, and can be seen until December 10.
Here is an overview of the Meoteor Baths and the highlights of the Meteor Nights in October:
- Draconidin: From October 4 to 10, peak on October 8
- Jabbar: From November 2 to 7, climax on October 21
- South Torres: From September 10 to November 20, peak on October 10
- North Torres: From October 20 to December 10, peak on November 12
The most important prerequisite for viewing the falling stars is, of course, good weather. This usually seems a bit tricky in October, when typical autumn weather features thick clouds of rain covering the sky. But this year, the chances of catching a few clear nights might be better. Because the October 2021 outlook looks promising and is set to last late summer.
Rubiklistenbild: © Ole Spata / Picture Alliance / dpa
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