HOORAY! This year, the nearly new moon will leave dark skies for what should be a good show. And you don’t even have to stay up late: Best viewing will be in the early evening from a dark location far away from city lights.
Meteors will radiate from the constellation Draco, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
The Draconids is a minor meteor shower producing only about 10 meteors per hour. It is produced by dust grains left behind by comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner, which was first discovered in 1900. The Draconids is an unusual shower in that the best viewing is in the early evening instead of early morning like most other showers. The shower runs annually from October 6-10 and peaks this year on the the night of the 7th. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Draco, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
A portion of the Moon will be fully darkened by Earth’s shadow. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of eastern Russia, Japan, the Pacific Ocean, North America, Mexico, Central America, and parts of western South America.
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEplot/LEplot2001/LE2021Nov19P.pdf
In the northern hemisphere, this full moon was known by Native American tribes as the Hunters Moon because at this time of year the leaves are falling and the game is fat and ready to hunt. This moon has also been known as the Travel Moon and the Blood Moon.
In the southern hemisphere, we might call this the Full Pink Moon. This name came from the herb moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring. Other names for this month’s celestial body include the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and among coastal tribes the Full Fish Moon, because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn.
Wear your sunglasses. The full moon will be a problem this year for the Orionids, blocking out all but the brightest meteors. Be patient and look towards the constellation Orion and you might catch a few good ones.
The Orionids is an average shower producing up to 20 meteors per hour at its peak. It is produced by dust grains left behind by comet Halley, which has been known and observed since ancient times. The shower runs annually from October 2 to November 7. It peaks this year on the night of October 21 and the morning of October 22. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Orion, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
This is of particular interest to astrologically minded folks. See URL for more info…
What’s that, a plane coming in for a landing just after sunset? No, that’s Venus blinding you from the western sky.
The planet Venus reaches greatest eastern elongation. This is the best time to view Venus without having to set your alarm since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the evening sky.
Keep your fingers crossed! Every now and then (like in 2008) the Taurid meteor shower — normally modest — produces spectacular fireballs. This year, the new moon will make things nice and dark, increasing the chances of being blinded and wowed by an amazing meteor or two.
The Taurids is a long-running minor meteor shower producing only about 5-10 meteors per hour. It is unusual in that it consists of two separate streams. The first is produced by dust grains left behind by Asteroid 2004 TG10. The second stream is produced by debris left behind by Comet 2P Encke. The shower runs annually from September 7 to December 10. It peaks this year on the the night of November 4. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Taurus, but can appear anywhere in the sky.