Catch a falling star..

One of the benefits of living on the countryside is that there is barely any light pollution, which is ideal for stargazing. It is in fact one of the darkest areas of the Netherlands, which is why there is an observatory not too far from here.

Tonight around 22:00 marked the predicted spike in meteor debris from comet 21P/Giacobini – Zinner entering our atmosphere, better known as the Draconids meteor shower (named after the constellation from which the meteors appear to fall). It was supposed to be quite a unique event with a high rate of meteors per minute. Every year I drive to the middle of nowhere to watch the annual peak of the Perseids shower, which is a great sight to watch, so I figured I’d pop out and watch the Draconids for a change.

Unfortunately due to a full moon and a very cloudy evening (including rain) it was slightly disappointing. There was a brief break in the clouds around the estimated peak luckily enough, so I did get to see a handful of meteors, but sadly it was a bit disappointing. I hope others have been more fortunate tonight.