Irish stargazers are no strangers to visible Meteor Showers filling the skies, and October is set to host a number of spectacular events.
As the weeks unfold, there are two Meteor Showers expected to take place that may be visible locally for some people across Ireland.
So, here are all the details of the upcoming phenomena and where to spot them:
Draconids Meteor Shower - October 7, 2021
The Draconids is one of the most visible annual celestial events, according to experts.
It graces the Irish skies for a very short period of time every year and can be spotted from October 6 to 10.
It’s generally at its peak on the night of October 8 and 9 over Ireland and is best viewed in the early evening.
This particular shower comes from the dust grains left behind by comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner - first discovered in 1900.
According to NASA, this shower could consist of up to 1,000 meteors flying through Earth's atmosphere per hour.
Orionids Meteor Shower - October 21- 22, 2021
The Orionid meteor shower appears in Irish skies once a year as planet earth passes through the debris left behind by the “most famous comet in the world”.
The Orionids is an average shower that features up to 20 meteors per hour at its peak.
It’s another product of comet Halley and runs from October 2 to November 7.
The meteors can appear from anywhere in the night sky, so people should direct their eyes to the clearest and darkest area in their vicinity.
Taurids Meteor Shower - November 4-5, 2021
Heading into November, another shower will swiftly be visible across Ireland, called the Taurids Meteor Shower.
The Taurids is a long-running minor meteor shower producing only about 5-10 meteors per hour - even though it is quite a small shower, if you look hard enough you might catch a glimpse.
It’s associated with the comet Encke, and is made up of two separate streams.
The first, is made up of dust grains left behind by Asteroid 2004 TG10, and the second stream is debris from Comet 2P Encke.
According to experts, the best way to see it is to find a darker location - so get away from light pollution in cities - and avoid the moon if you can.
