Meteor Shower Tonight — Where to Look for Meteors in October 2022
~4 min
October is rich in meteors: the prolific Orionids, bright Draconids, and five more meteor showers will reach their maximum activity this month! In today’s article, we explain when and where to look for shooting stars.
Contents
How to watch a meteor shower
Before we get to the list, remember that for successful meteor shower observations, you need to:
- Check the weather forecast in advance;
- Find out the peak time;
- Find out when the radiant is high in the sky;
- Be aware of the Moon phase.
Get more tips for watching meteor showers in our article. To test your shooting stars hunting skill, take the quiz on how to catch a meteor.
Take this quiz to see how well you're prepared for meteor hunting and get useful tips on how to catch the most shooting stars.
Major October Meteor Showers
October 9: Draconids’ peak
- ZHR: 10
- Moon Illumination: 100%
- Active: October 6-10
- Radiant Location: constellation Draco
- Visible from: Northern Hemisphere
- Visibility forecast: Don’t expect much from the Draconids this year. In 2022, the meteor shower’s peak aligns with the Full Moon (October 9, 20:55 GMT or 4:55 p.m. EDT); thus, the moonlight will likely hide the shooting stars from our view.
- Description: The Draconid meteor shower is odd and unpredictable. Unlike the other meteor showers that are best visible before dawn, the Draconids provide the best view in the evening hours. In most years, they produce no more than ten meteors under dark skies, but there have been times when they entertained stargazers with several hundreds of meteors in a single hour. The next time such a show is forecasted for 2062.
October 21: Orionids’ peak
- ZHR: 20
- Moon Illumination: 17%
- Active: October 2 - November 7
- Radiant Location: constellation Orion
- Visible from: everywhere
- Visibility forecast: The Orionids will be the most spectacular meteor shower in October 2022. The waning crescent Moon will rise in the early morning and won’t interfere with observations. The Orionids’ radiant rises before midnight and reaches its highest around 2 a.m. your local time in either hemisphere.
- Description: The Orionids are known for their fast meteors and occasional bright fireballs. They enter the Earth’s atmosphere at 66 km/s (about 148,000 mph)! These fast meteors also produce ionized gas trails that last for several seconds. In general, Orionids are among the most beautiful meteor showers of the year.
Minor October Meteor Showers
October 6: October Camelopardalids’ peak
- ZHR: 5
- Moon Illumination: 86%
- Active: October 5-6
- Radiant Location: constellation Camelopardalis
- Visible from: Northern Hemisphere
- Visibility forecast: In 2022, conditions for observing the October Camelopardalids will be far from good because the meteor shower reaches its peak near the Full Moon.
- Description: These meteors aren’t very spectacular in general. The bright but rare October Camelopardalid meteors are for passionate shooting stars hunters who are ready to wait for a possible outburst of activity.
October 10: Southern Taurids’ peak
- ZHR: 5
- Moon Illumination: 100%
- Active: September 10 - November 20
- Radiant Location: constellation Taurus
- Visible from: everywhere
- Visibility forecast: Unfortunately, this year, the Southern Taurids’ peak occurs on the next night after the Full Moon. However, the Southern Taurids are active for more than two months, so try to catch them on any other night when the moonlight is less bright.
- Description: This meteor shower is perfect for meteor photography newcomers. The Southern Taurids’ bright and relatively slow meteors are ideal targets for capturing; this stream also has a stable and low meteor rate that allows practicing visual planning techniques. Here are some tips on how to photograph meteor showers.
October 11: Delta Aurigids’ peak
- ZHR: 2
- Moon Illumination: 97%
- Active: October 10-18
- Radiant Location: constellation Auriga
- Visible from: Northern Hemisphere
- Visibility forecast: In 2022, the 97%-illuminated Moon will wash out the Delta Aurigids’ meteors.
- Description: According to the International Meteor Organization (IMO), the δ-Aurigids (Delta Aurigids) are not broadly studied. Current information about this stream is based on IMO video data since the late 1990s; therefore, any observations might refine our knowledge about it.
October 18: Epsilon Geminids’ peak
- ZHR: 3
- Moon Illumination: 43%
- Active: October 14-27
- Radiant Location: constellation Gemini
- Visible from: everywhere
- Visibility forecast: The Epsilon Geminids are most active after midnight, so you’ll have a short window for observations before the waning crescent Moon rises at about 3 a.m.
- Description: In comparison to the Geminids in December, the ε-Geminids (Epsilon Geminids) are way less entertaining. With only a couple of meteors visible per hour, they’re not worthy of going outside during the night, especially if it’s cold there. However, the ε-Geminids are a nice addition to the Orionid meteors in general, as they peak at around the same time.
October 24: Leonis Minorids’ peak
- ZHR: 2
- Moon Illumination: 1%
- Active: October 19-27
- Radiant Location: constellation Leo Minor
- Visible from: Northern Hemisphere
- Visibility forecast: The Leonis Minorids have no moonlight interference this year. Watch them starting at midnight local time.
- Description: The Leonis Minorid stream was first found in video meteor data. Under a dark sky, this meteor shower can be visible with the naked eye, but it’s too weak to be an interesting target for amateur stargazers.
These were all seven meteor showers that observers can view in October 2022. Hopefully, this article will help you to schedule a meteor hunt for the month. Use our stargazing apps to learn a radiant location for your sites or the Moon phase for any date.
Wishing you clear skies and happy observations!
Text Credit:Vito Technology, Inc.
Image Credit:Vito Technology, Inc.
