October Meteors Showers: Draconids and the Orionids

Two meteor showers take the stage for the month of October.  The Draconids come first with a peak on October 7th and the 8th.  Most of the time, the Draconid meteor shower does not put on a dramatic display, about 10-15 meteors per hour.  However, there are recorded event where meteor outbursts have occurred with the Draconid meteor shower with meteor rates reaching into the thousands per hour!

This year's Draconid meteor shower will be marred by the light of a waxing gibbous moon which will be around for most of the night.

Next up on the slate for October meteor shower are the Orionids.  The Orionid meteor showers peak on October 20th and 21st. The Orionids are generally more active than the Draconid meteor shower. The Orionids are caused by the remnants of Halley's Comet, and streak in at a rate of about 15 to 20 meteors per hour. The best viewing times will be in the evening, before moon rises.  The Orionid meteor showers generally provide best viewing after midnight, towards the morning hour. But for the 2011 meteor shower event, the moon will be up after midnight.

The Best Meteor Showers for 2010

The prospects for a good year of meteor shower viewing for 2010 are somewhat low. Many of the best meteor showers for 2010 appear at a near full moon. Moonlight can hamper the dark sky viewing needed for catching good meteor showers.

Here are my thoughts on the best meteor showers to view for 2010. The criteria for making this list are based on cold vs. warm season, the number of meteors per hour, and the amount of moonlight. This is basically just my opinion, others may have a different opinion

The best meteor shower for 2010 will arguably be the Perseid's. The Perseid's peak on August 13th, smack dab in the middle of summer for the northern hemisphere. These showers also occur just a few nights after a new moon, which falls on August 10th. Usually, around 100 meteors per hour are visible at the peak of the Perseid meteor shower.

The next best shower to view will probably be the Leonid meteor shower of November. There will be a near full moon for this years Leonid meteor shower. The reason I picked the Leonid meteor shower in my number two slot is because of the shear numbers of meteors that may show up per hour may reach a 100 or more.

The Leonid meteor showers are also known for their 33 year peak display. Every 33 years 100's or of meteors per hour may occur for a short time during the peak. These are known as meteor storms. Sadly, the next peak is not due until 2033 or 2034.

Next on my list are the October Draconids. Although one can only expect about 10 or so meteors per hour with the Draconids, there will be a new moon this year.

Other than these three meteor showers, the rest seem to occur during nearly a full moon. Thus viewing will be difficult.