Two meteor showers to shine over Vietnam this month

At their peaks, the Draconids and Orionids could produce up to 10 and 20 meteors per hour. Draconids began on October 6 while Orionids early this month.

The Draconids originated from cosmic dust of the comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, while the Orionids originated from Halley’s Comet. The former comet was discovered in 1990 while the latter has been known since ancient times.

The meteor showers are named after the two constellations they seemingly come from, the Draco and the Orion.

To see them, people are advised to choose areas with little light pollution and an unobstructed view of the sky, with the best times being after nightfall for the Draconids and before dawn for the Orionids. No special equipment is needed.

In August Vietnam witnessed one of the most spectacular meteor showers of the year, the Perseids, which offered up to 100 meteors per hour.