Giacobinids


Giacobinids

(ja-koh -bă-nidz) (Draconids) A meteor shower, radiant RA 262°, dec 54° (in Draco), that maximizes on 8 Oct. The parent of the shower is comet Giacobini–Zinner (period 6.6 years). The shower has been seen five times, in 1926, 1933, 1946, 1952, and 1985. In 1933 the Earth crossed the orbit about 80 days after the parent comet and the resulting meteor storm was the most spectacular this century. In 1946 the Earth crossed the orbit 15 days behind the comet, and the 4.2-meter radar at Jodrell Bank recorded a maximum of 10 000 meteors per hour; this observation was one of the first major successes of meteor radar astronomy.

Giacobinids

[jə′kä·bə‚nidz] (astronomy) A meteor shower that reaches maximum about October 10, associated with Comet P/Giacobini-Zinner.