Idaho Skies Transcript for October 8th and 9th

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies for October 8th and 9th. We’re your hosts, Paul…

RACHEL
…and Rachel.

PAUL
Comet Giacobini-Zinner is passing through the inner solar system this month.

Which means its appearing at its brightest.

Unfortunately, this comet is not very bright to begin with.

However, as it rounds the sun, its surface is warming up and some of its ices are sublimating.

RACHEL
Sublimating is when a solid changes directly into a gas.

As comets sublimate, the escaping gases carry away cometary dust.

Which remains within the comets orbit.

And can eventually, cross the orbit of our home world.

PAUL
As it does, the dust slams into the atmosphere at speeds greater than 25,000 miles per hour.

High speeds like this violently compress the air ahead to make it very hot.

In fact, hot enough to melt the dust into what we call a meteor.

RACHEL
Just by chance, meteors from Comet Giacobini-Zinner reach their peak intensity on night of the 9th.

They’ll appear to radiate from a point in the sky that also contains the head of Draco the Dragon.

So this meteor shower is called the Draconids.

Usually, there aren’t very many Draconids hour, but the shower has been known to surprise stargazers.

PAUL
So if you have time on the night of the 9th, look in the high northwest for the head of Draco the Dragon.

Which is to the right of the bright star Vega.

Any Draconid meteors will appear to originate from the squashed square of Draco’s head.

And with the moon at new, its light won’t interfere with seeing this meteor shower. 

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the 8th and 9th of October.

PAUL
Be sure to follow us on Twitter @IdahoSkies for this week’s event reminders and sky maps.

For Idaho Skies this is Paul…

RACHEL
…and Rachel.

PAUL
Dark skies and bright stars.