ONE evening in August, my partner and I set off after work for a weekend away to celebrate our friends鈥� wedding. We had expected the journey to take about 3 hours, but we got caught in a traffic jam that turned it into 6.
I sat in the passenger seat, getting increasingly frustrated as the cars and fields around me changed very little and the estimated arrival time on my phone crept later and later. We had expected to get there in daylight, but while the sun set, I looked out. As the glints of Saturn, Vega and Arcturus appeared, I noticed a bright flash move across the sky. I craned out of the window and saw a few more: it was my first ever in-car meteor shower. I only saw four of the Perseid meteors that evening, but it certainly brightened up the traffic jam.
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In the northern hemisphere, this time of year can feel bleak as the nights draw in. But the saving grace of earlier sunsets is that you don鈥檛 have to be such a night owl to catch some meteors. In fact, in October alone, there are three meteor showers to look out for. They will be visible from all over the world, but you will have to stay up later to see them in the southern hemisphere, where the days are getting longer.
First up is the Draconid meteor shower, which peaks on 8 and 9 October. As with any meteor shower, you don鈥檛 need to pinpoint its source to see it, but this one radiates from Draco. Find the summer triangle of stars, draw a line from Altair to Vega, then keep on going and you will soon reach Draco. Just like other meteor showers, the streaks of light can cross the sky in any direction.
The Draconids will be followed by the Orionids, which peak on 21 October. To find this shower鈥檚 centre, start with the three stars that make up Orion鈥檚 belt. Then try to locate Betelgeuse, the bright, yellowy star that represents Orion鈥檚 left shoulder when viewed from the northern hemisphere. The Orionid meteors should begin from around this point in the sky.
All meteor showers are caused by Earth moving through debris left over from a comet or asteroid, and the Orionids are caused by debris from Halley鈥檚 comet, which was last visible from Earth in 1986 and will be again in 2061.
If you miss the Orionids, don鈥檛 worry: the Taurids will follow shortly afterwards. They come in two displays, neither of which has a strong peak, kicking off from mid-October and with most of their activity in the first two weeks of November. These will radiate from Taurus, another constellation that is visible around the world.
It is worth timing your meteor gazing for around the new moon of 25 October, when the most meteors are likely to be visible. Pick a clear night, try to find a spot away from light pollution and let your eyes adjust to the dark so you can enjoy the spectacle. I wouldn鈥檛, however, recommend watching from a traffic jam.
A clear night
Abigail Beall is a features editor at New Scientist and author of The Art of Urban Astronomy @abbybeall
