Skywatchers in central and southern Taiwan have a good chance of being treated to two major celestial events this weekend, thanks to fair weather conditions and low interference from a crescent moon.
Uranus is today at its brightest this year, as it is in opposition with, or located opposite from, the sun, with the Earth between the two celestial bodies, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said yesterday.
The planet will be closest to the Earth and appear the largest tonight, the museum said.
People hoping to spot Uranus should look for a blue-green body, visible to the naked eye when looking to the southeastern sky.
At the same time, the Orionid meteor shower, which appears to originate in the constellation Orion, could produce up to 50 shooting stars per hour tomorrow, with the peak period expected from 10pm to early Sunday morning.
Although they cannot rival the three major yearly meteor showers — the Quadrantids, Perseids and Geminids — the Orionids are known for their consistent intensity and their easy visibility, as they are both bright and appear near the zenith in Taiwan, the museum said.
“The Orionid meteor shower is very reliable, plus the number of shooting stars it produces has been increasing in the past few years,” museum researcher Lee Chin (李瑾) said.
The Orionid meteor shower happens annually when the Earth plows through dusty debris from Halley’s Comet, named after astronomer Edmond Halley, who determined the comet’s periodicity and contributed to further knowledge about the solar system.
To make it easier for the public to observe Uranus and the meteor shower, the museum said it would grant the public exclusive access to its high-power telescope between 7pm and 9pm tomorrow.
However, weather conditions in the greater Taipei area are forecast to be less stable tomorrow night, and there could be clear skies, clouds or showers, according to the Central Weather Bureau.
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