October 2010

 October is going to be a busy month for star gazers. First you have the Draconids meteor shower on the 8th and 9th. In the past, this shower put on a pretty good show, but not this year.

A better meteor shower will be on the 21st and 22nd. The Orionids shower, from the comet 1P/Halley, should produce 20 meteors an hour.

Then, we will have the small asteroid 2010 ST3 that will pass by the Earth at a distance of 4 million miles. Today ST3 is not a threat to us, but when this 150-foot rock return in 88 years it has a slight chance of hitting us. It will make its closest approach in mid-October.

Last but not least, comet Hartley 2 is cruising the constellation Cassiopeia heading for Perseus and Auriga. This is a small comet, but it is already producing a huge, green corona! It should be an easy target for binoculars and small telescopes.

Image credit: Spaceweather.com.

For more information or for tips on star gazing, call 229-432-6955.