An unusual accumulation in the Saturday sky. Night of falling stars and flying points of light. And that’s not all

On the night from Saturday, October 21 to Sunday, October 22, stargazing enthusiasts will be in for a real treat. If conditions are favorable, every astronomy enthusiast will be able to enjoy several attractions.

Points of light again in the night sky over Poland. What time will we see the new Starlinks?

First of all, from Saturday, Elon Musk’s Starlink train will travel through the night sky. “The new Starlinks have taken off! From today, we will be able to see them over Poland for the next few days. In the morning, the Starlink G7-5 mission was launched from the Vandenberg base in California. The Falcon 9 rocket carried 21 new telecommunications satellites from SpaceX into orbit” – .

As we read on the website, the Starlink train will fly over Poland at 7:10 p.m. “It will be a high flight, through 2/3 of the sky. Starlinks will appear from the southwestern sky and fly towards the east,” the website reports. As the author of the article adds, the place and length of the flight will vary slightly depending on the location from which we will observe the sky. For example, in Gdańsk the flight in its central phase will be visible more to the south, while in Kraków Starlinks will cross almost the middle of the sky.

“Each evening, the satellites will be higher in the sky, and at the same time they will separate, changing their formation. From a tight space train, to a stretched chain of light beads crossing the sky. On Sunday, October 22, the flight will take place at 7:16 p.m. On Monday, at 7:22 p.m., and on Tuesday at 7:27 p.m.,” reports nocneniebo.pl.

Orionids 2023. When to watch?

However, this is not the end of the attractions. On the night from Saturday to Sunday, you will also be able to admire the so-called shooting stars. NASA said the Orionids can be seen from October 2 to early November. However, the night of October 21-22 is supposed to be special. This is the moment of greatest activity of the Orionid meteor shower.

, in a cloudless sky we will be able to see up to 23 “shooting stars” per hour. It is worth waiting because the Orionids, traveling at a speed of approximately 66 km/h, leave very attractive bright streaks. They stay in the sky for a long time (as NASA writes – from several seconds to even minutes).

they come from Halley’s Comet, which is probably the most famous comet observed by humanity for centuries. It owes its name to Edmond Halley, who in 1705 discovered that three comets return approximately every 76 years, and suggested that they were in fact the same comets. As he predicted, the comet returned and was named after him. The celestial body orbits the Sun every 76 years. The last time Halley’s Comet was seen was in 1986. The object will not re-enter the Solar System until 2061.

But that’s not the end. Saturday is also the International Moon Observation Night. “The first quarter moon is the best time to watch the moon, because the craters, highlands and valleys are beautifully outlined by the shadows cast,” encourages Zbyszek from nocneniebo.pl. So, if the weather permits, pack some warm clothes and admire today’s spectacle.