The Draconid meteor shower peaks on October 7, 2012, according to U.S. clocks. The actual peak is 2 UTC on October 8 (9 p.m. CDT on October 7). So, for Asian observers, the peak comes around midday on October 8. The evenings of October 7 or 8 are best for you, if you’re in Asia.
Draconid meteor in 2011. Click here to expand image. Copyright: Frank Martin Ingilæ. Used with permission.
The good news is that this shower’s radiant point is circumpolar for much of the Northern Hemisphere – so it’s above the horizon, or nearly so, all night, especially as you get farther north on Earth’s globe. In fact, the radiant point stands highest in the sky as darkness falls. Yippee! You don’t have to wait for the usual midnight to dawn time slot for this shower.
But you do have to watch for the moon, which is at the last quarter phase that night, rising around midnight. So watch for the Draconids all evening on October 7. Then after moonrise, if you really want to, go get some sleep. Remember, October 8 should produce some meteors, too.
Speaking of sleep, this shower is usually a sleeper, producing only a handful of languid meteors per hour in most years. But watch out if the Dragon awakes! In rare instances, fiery Draco has been known to spew forth many hundreds of meteors in a single hour. That’s what happened last year. Meteor-watchers in Europe saw over 600 Draconid meteors per hour. As of now, nobody is calling for the Draconid meteor shower to burst into storm in 2012. But you never know for sure with the Draconids, so it’s worth watching out for on the moonless evenings of October 7 and 8.
Watch for the Orionid meteor shower on the morning of October 21, 2012. The actual peak is 4 UTC on October 21 (11 p.m. CDT on October 20). But like most meteor showers, this one is better after midnight – no matter where you are on the globe. There is a waxing crescent moon setting before midnight (on October 20). That means a dark sky between midnight and dawn, or during the best viewing hours for the Orionid meteors.
On a dark, moonless night, the Orionids exhibit a maximum of about 15 meteors per hour. These fast-moving meteors occasionally leave persistent trains and bright fireballs. If you trace these meteors backward, they seem to come from the Club of the famous constellation Orion the Hunter. You might know Orion’s bright, ruddy star Betelgeuse. The radiant is north of Betelgeuse.
The Orionids have a broad and irregular peak that isn’t easy to predict. The best viewing for the Orionids in 2012 will probably be before dawn on October 21. You might also try the mornings before and after that.
Find the time of moonset in your location with this custom calendar (check moonrise and moonset option)
Find out about meteor showers for the rest of the year: EarthSky’s meteor shower guide for 2012
Composite of 23 images of Perseid meteor shower, taken on the morning of August 12, 2012 by EarthSky Facebook friend David Kingham from the Snowy Range of Wyoming. Click here to expand image.
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Bottom line: Northern Hemisphere autumn (or Southern Hemisphere
spring) is always a great time to watch meteors. There are major meteor
showers every month from October to December each year. So what is the
next meteor shower? The Draconids peak on the evening of October 7,
for U.S. observers. Then comes the Orionids – peaking on the morning of
October 21, before dawn. Remember, to watch meteors, you need a dark
sky.- EarthSky
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