Ring Of Fire Eclipse, Draconid Meteors: MD October Skygazing Guide

MARYLAND — Meteor showers return to the skies over Maryland this month after a brief hiatus. A couple — the long-running Orionid and Taurid meteor showers — are already underway.

The month’s big event, though, is Oct. 14’s annular solar eclipse. As NASA explains it, this type of eclipse occurs when the moon passes in front of the sun but is too far away to completely obscure it, leaving the sun’s outer edges exposed in a red-orange ring.

The “ring of fire” effect will be visible in a narrow path that includes Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas.

We won’t see as much of the eclipse in Maryland, but Oct. 14 is still worth putting on the calendar. In our state, it will look as if the moon took a bite from the sun.

In Baltimore, the partial annular eclipse begins at 12:01:28 p.m. EDT and mid-eclipse should be reached at 1:19:25 p.m. EDT.

In Bethesda, the partial eclipse will start at 12:00:07 p.m. EDT and mid-eclipse happens at 1:18:55 p.m. EDT. And be sure you have certified solar eclipse eyeglasses. It’s not safe to look at even a partial eclipse without protective eyewear.

Also in October: The full hunter’s moon will be on Saturday, Oct. 28, just in time for Halloween. It’s a regular full moon; the full harvest moon on Friday ended a string of four consecutive supermoons.

• Related: Great American Solar Eclipse Of 2024: Is MD In Path Of Totality?

Shooting Star Shows

Here’s what you need to know about October meteor showers:

Draconids peak, Oct. 8-9: This short-lived, Oct. 6-10 meteor shower passes most years with only a smattering of meteors. Sometimes called the Giacobinid meteor shower in honor of the astronomer who discovered its parent comet, the shooting star is distinctive in that it’s best viewed in the morning evening hours as darkness falls rather than after midnight. The moon will be only about 19 percent illuminated for this shower, and if you’re patient and perhaps a bit lucky, you might catch 10 meteors an hour.

Orionids peak, Oct. 21-22: The Orionid meteor shower started Sept. 26 and runs through Nov. 22, and usually produces 15 or 20 meteors an hour at the peak. It’s considered one of the most beautiful shooting star shows of the year because meteors are bright and fast, entering Earth’s atmosphere at bout 148,000 miles an hour. These meteors that fast can leave glowing trains — that is, incandescent bits of debris that can last several seconds or even minutes — and also fireballs. The moon will be about 37 percent full during the peak.

• Related: 2023 Guide To Meteor Showers, Supermoons, More Celestial Events

Taurids are active now: This long-running meteor shower, which started Sept. 28 and runs through Dec. 2, is unique because it consists of two separate debris streams, both rich in fireballs. Occasionally, the Taurids create a “swarm” with numerous bright fireballs. The last one was in 2015. In normal years, though, they produce about five or 10 shooting stars an hour. The moon will be about 54 percent full for the Southern Taurids’ Nov. 4-5 peak, and about 2 percent full for the Nov. 11-12 peak of the Northern Taurids.

Auroras, Maybe?

Another reason to keep your eyes on the sky in October: It’s typical for the aurora borealis to shimmer in the fall with more frequency than in other seasons, as the Earth tilts in just the right way around the time of the autumnal equinox (that was Sept. 23).

Scientists say the northern lights have been firing with more frequency than previously thought as solar maximum approaches. That’s the point midway through an 11-year cycle when the north and south poles sort out their magnetic fields, eventually flipping them.

Solar storms occur with much greater frequency during this period, triggering aurora displays that can dip down from Arctic ranges to the northern tier of the U.S. states and, in some cases, farther south to places that don’t normally see auroras.

This year, scientists say solar maximum is arriving earlier and more powerfully than they thought, bombarding Earth with solar storms that result in a bumper crop of ethereal northern lights displays at lower latitudes.

Originally, scientists thought solar maximum would occur in 2025, but now predict it could happen by the end of the year.

• Related: Aurora Borealis Hunting: What’s A Kp Index, More Northern Lights Tips