Celestial Events
OCTOBER 8 β DRACONID METEOR SHOWER
Unlike other meteor showers, the Dracnoidβs radiant point is highest in the sky as darkness falls. This means youβll see more meteors during the evening hours than in the hours after midnight. It also tends to be a more relaxed event, producing only a handful of meteors per hour in most years.
In more active years, the Dracnoid shower can have hundreds of meteors in a single hour as the comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner journies past Earth. While shoes have been weak in recent years, you never know when this shower could show off.
OCTOBER 13 β TSUCHINSHAN-ATLAS COMET
Only recently discovered in 2023, Comet TsuchinshanβATLAS will be visible to the naked eye even though it is more than 43 million miles away.
Thereβs also the possibility its proximity to the Sun before approaching Earth could lead to the end of the dusty and icy comment. Astronomers are eagerly awaiting the event, which may be surprising or disappointing. If the comet survives its brush with the Sun, sightings of the comet should begin on October 12 or 13 and last for a week.
OCTOBER 17 β SUPER HUNTERβS MOON
The third of four Supermoons, this will be your last chance to catch a bigger, brighter Moon in 2024. The Hunter Moon is named for hunting and stocking of food that takes place in the fall.
During this full Moon, the Orinoid meteor shower will reach its height. However, due to the bright moonlight, most meteors will be incredibly faint or not visible.
Celestial Events calendar courtesy of KOA.
