After the very impressive shower of shooting stars from the Perseids, it is the turn of the kappa-Cygnids to illuminate the sky.
The month of August is rather appreciable for all lovers astronomy. Several events, easily observable, dot this part of the summer. Among them, there is in particular the second meteor shower of the month: that of the kappa-Cygnids.
A discovery partly due to chance
The discovery of this shower of shooting stars is rather original. As you know, if you have read our previous articles on the subject of astronomy, the Perseid meteor shower is active from the end of July to the end of August (with a peak during the night of August 12 to 12).
It is by observing this event that l’astronome hongrois Miklós Konkoly-Thege would have noticed, somewhat by chance, his presence, in 1874. Since this discovery, kappa-Cygnids have been observed many times and much more is known about their cycle and frequency.
In 1893, in particular, the British astronomy William F. Denning noticed that this rain of shooting stars, which seems to come from the star Kappa Cygny, does not have a constant activity… In other words, we observe a number different from meteors from one year to another!
Kappa Swans (κ Cyg)
At the end of one of #Cygnus‘ wings. Near the radiant of Kappa Cygnids minor meteor shower, concurrent with Perseids pic.twitter.com/sQdn9UBiJ5
— Star of the day (@OneStarADay) November 26, 2016
A handful of meteors per hour
If you enjoyed the Perseid meteor shower, be warned: this event will be much more minor. For information, the kappa-Cygnid meteor shower is active from August 5 to 25, with an expected peak during the night of August 17 to 18.
How many meteors are expected? Unfortunately few, since it is estimated that there should not be more than three on average… As usual, to observe the phenomenon, we advise you to go to a place where light pollution is minimal; this will greatly facilitate the visibility of these few meteors!
Caught this Kappa Cygnid #meteor passing through Cygnus last night ???? #KappaCygnids#MeteorShower#Astronomy#Astrophotographypic.twitter.com/Dmjxp0KTMf
— Steve ‘Sirius’ Brown – amateur astronomer ????????✨???? (@sjb_astro) August 18, 2021