Draconid meteors busting out all over!

There’s a dragon on fire and he’s burning up the sky! The Draconid meteor shower, underway since this weekend and normally a weak shower, suddenly spiked today around 11 a.m. (CDT). The Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar (CMOR), which “sees” meteors … Continue reading →

A falling meteor leaves a trail of light as well as one of electrons that radar can “see”. Credit: NASA
There’s a dragon on fire and he’s burning up the sky!
The Draconid meteor shower, underway since this weekend and normally a weak shower, suddenly spiked today around 11 a.m. (CDT). The Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar (CMOR), which “sees” meteors by the tracks of ionized air trails they leave in the upper atmosphere, is recording rates of 1000 per hour. That’s much higher than last year’s outburst and off the charts of this year’s expectations.
Since radar picks up even small meteors that go unnoticed with the naked eye, it’s not known whether all of these would be visible in a dark sky. But, hey, it’s easy enough to go out and have a look for yourself. This afternoon, European observers are favored, since it’s already night there. If you live in the U.S. or Canada ...