Meteor showers to light up Swiss night sky this weekend
As Switzerland enjoys an unseasonably warm October, weather conditions are ideal for sky gazers to catch a potentially spectacular meteor shower.
October may not be as known for meteor showers as August, but you can still spot shooting stars in the dark night sky.
According to MeteoSwiss, meteors from the Dragon constellation (which is located around the North Star) will reach their peak between Saturday and Tuesday.
“They are also called Giacobinids, because they originate in the dust trail of comet 1P/Giacobini-Zinner,” MeteoNews noted. “They are relatively slow and are clearly visible. “
Luckily for star gazers, this year “the observation possibilities are favourable because, in the evening, the radiant is high in the sky, and the Moon, still half lit, does not rise until after midnight.”
Die nächste Zeit bringt ruhiges herbstliches #Hochdruckwetter. Abgesehen von hohen Wolken sind die Nächte meist klar – speziell auch am Wochenende. Riskieren Sie einen Blick nach oben, es sind einige besondere #Meteorströme aktiv! Details hier => https://t.co/1or8j2tUdy (km) pic.twitter.com/TgHyeeYH7x
— MeteoNews Schweiz (@MeteoNewsAG) October 4, 2023
On Friday night, eagle-eyed starwatchers still have the chance to see the Camelopardalis – a bright meteor shower discovered in 2005 – if you direct your gaze between the Polar Star, Cassiopeia and Big Dipper.
The Draconids meteor shower, which was named after the constellation Draco where they (seemingly) come from, is set to light up the sky between October 6th and 10th.
If you plan on catching the (rather slow) Draconids – which are best observed after sunset in an area with a clear dark sky such as a forest – you’ll need to look towards the Polar Star.
From October 10th to 13th Switzerland-based star gazers can delight in the Southern Taurids, which originated from Comet Encke and are poised for a comeback on November 5th.
Lasltly, the (fast) Oronids will arrive in the alpine nation on October 2nd (until November 7th) and is expected to peak on October 21st.
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October may not be as known for meteor showers as August, but you can still spot shooting stars in the dark night sky.
According to MeteoSwiss, meteors from the Dragon constellation (which is located around the North Star) will reach their peak between Saturday and Tuesday.
“They are also called Giacobinids, because they originate in the dust trail of comet 1P/Giacobini-Zinner,” MeteoNews noted. “They are relatively slow and are clearly visible. “
Luckily for star gazers, this year “the observation possibilities are favourable because, in the evening, the radiant is high in the sky, and the Moon, still half lit, does not rise until after midnight.”
Die nächste Zeit bringt ruhiges herbstliches #Hochdruckwetter. Abgesehen von hohen Wolken sind die Nächte meist klar – speziell auch am Wochenende. Riskieren Sie einen Blick nach oben, es sind einige besondere #Meteorströme aktiv! Details hier => https://t.co/1or8j2tUdy (km) pic.twitter.com/TgHyeeYH7x
— MeteoNews Schweiz (@MeteoNewsAG) October 4, 2023
On Friday night, eagle-eyed starwatchers still have the chance to see the Camelopardalis – a bright meteor shower discovered in 2005 – if you direct your gaze between the Polar Star, Cassiopeia and Big Dipper.
The Draconids meteor shower, which was named after the constellation Draco where they (seemingly) come from, is set to light up the sky between October 6th and 10th.
If you plan on catching the (rather slow) Draconids – which are best observed after sunset in an area with a clear dark sky such as a forest – you’ll need to look towards the Polar Star.
From October 10th to 13th Switzerland-based star gazers can delight in the Southern Taurids, which originated from Comet Encke and are poised for a comeback on November 5th.
Lasltly, the (fast) Oronids will arrive in the alpine nation on October 2nd (until November 7th) and is expected to peak on October 21st.
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