Rain of shooting stars Friday, October 8, 2021

The number of potential shooting stars to be seen in the Dragonite episode is not very high, with its peak expected from October 8 to 9, 2021 this year. But we can count on ten events that we can observe in an hour. Tonight the adventurers were tempted to endanger themselves, especially according to Motto France, as most of the metropolitan area will be without clouds and the temperature will be relatively mild.

A comet has long been known

Dragonites are 21P / Giacobini-Zinner cometary dust that travel close to Earth every six and a half years. It was discovered by Michael Geogopini in the Nice Laboratory in 1900 and rediscovered by German astronomer Ernst Jinner two revolutions later. As the Earth passes through this dust, some shooting stars light up the sky, but sometimes the event is so spectacular: thousands of shooting stars were seen in 1933 and not far from 600 / hr in 2011. The frequency is very low with 5 to 10 stars per hour. They should only be seen after sunset to the north and after the Dragon galaxy (next to Little Tipper).

To scan the sky, there is no question in using any tool: eyes are enough to admire the shooting stars. This is a very adequate tool as they only provide a wide angle view that allows you to observe a large area of ​​the sky. With a lot of luck, you can even see two shooting stars at the same time. Or even more! On the other hand, it is better to bring a telescope or a pair of telescopes to observe the planets, stars or other stars.

Evidence of extraterrestrial things

If the shooting stars burn up in the atmosphere without a trace, other large comet particles reach the Earth’s surface, called micrometers, and they can be collected by scientists. Most are collected from the ice of Antarctica or from the sediments of the ocean floor. Found in a study conducted in 2021 Total annual flow of microscopic meteorites (Which also includes the contribution of meteorite dust) is approximately reflected 5.200 Tons per year! This contribution is a major source of extraterrestrial material because large meteorites represent only a few tens of tons per year.