In October, Ukrainians will be able to see two starfalls and the "comet of the century": where and when to watch

The October space calendar is full of interesting events. In the first half of October, you will be able to see the Draconid meteor shower, and in the second half of October, the Orionids meteor shower.

Ukrainians also still have a chance to see the "comet of the century" C/2023 A3, which is already flying around our planet. The bright traveler Tsuchinshan-ATLAS will come as close to Earth as possible on October 13-15, TheSun reports.

Meteors

According to astronomers, the Draconid meteor shower will be active between October 6 and 10, but will peak around October 8-9. As Comet 21 P/Giacobini-Zinner flies by Earth next week, you'll be able to see about 10 flashes per hour. It is better to look at the sky in the evening.

Because meteor showers occur when the Earth's orbit crosses the path of a comet, and the rocky debris left behind by the comet burns up in the planet's atmosphere.

Although the Draconids are among the most modest meteor showers in recent years, they produced some of the most active displays of the 20th century in 1933 and 1946, scientists say.

The Orionid meteor shower, on the other hand, is one of the most famous and reliable meteor showers. It starts on October 2 and will delight astronomy enthusiasts until November 7. However, the Orionids will reach their peak of activity between night and dawn on October 21 and 22.

Experts from the Royal Greenwich Observatory say that observers will be able to see up to 25 shooting stars per hour for several days before and after the "peak" date.

"Comet of the century"

According to scientists, comet C/2023 A3, also known as Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, is currently making its way through the inner solar system on its first visit in more than 80,000 years. That's why it's being called the "comet of the century."

The tailed wanderer, which is traveling at 70 km/s, can be observed with the naked eye in the northern hemisphere during two viewing windows, the first of which lasts until October 2 and the second from October 13.

"The comet, which is also called Jijinshan-ATLAS, will soon become unavailable for observations, as it will hide in the bright light of the Sun until about October 12. Starting October 13, the comet will be visible in the evening sky, including from the territory of Ukraine. Visibility for October 13-15 is forecast at 18:50-19:00 pm, about an hour after sunset," said Volodymyr Kazhanov, an astronomer and lecturer at the Kharkiv Planetarium, on Suspilne TV.

The astronomer says that the tail of the Big Dipper will help to find the comet - "where it points, approximately in that direction in the evening on October 13, we are looking for a comet." It will be possible to see the tailed traveler in the sky without the help of binoculars or a telescope, because Jijinshan-ATLAS is very bright.

"Many people are already calling it the brightest in the last 20 years. And that's not all, because comets are quite unpredictable, they can have flashes of brightness, so we can't say for sure what will happen to it after a certain period," said Kazhanov.

The astronomer also emphasizes that the comet's height above the horizon will be low, so you should choose an area with a view of the horizon so that trees and tall buildings do not interfere. "The higher you go, the better," advises Volodymyr Kazhanov.

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