Keep an eye out for the annual Draconid meteor shower this weekend. It’s active starting tomorrow through Tuesday nights Oct. 7-9. While only a few meteors per hour are expected, it’s possible more may show. Last year, when Earth passed through a thicker filament of Draconid dust, rates briefly reached 300 per hour for European observers.
Draconids are very slow traveling and appear to emanate from near the head of Draco the Dragon, a small trapezoid of stars nicknamed the “Lozenge”. Every year in early October the Earth passes through the debris trail left behind by Comet Giacobini-Zinner. The comet orbits the sun with a period of 6.6 years. During each pass through the inner solar system, it sheds a trail of dust along its path. As Earth’s orbit and debris cloud intersect, bits of dust smack our atmospheric “windshield” and burn up as meteors.
Meteors can occur anywhere in the sky, but you’ll know it’s a Draconid if you can trace its path back to the Dragon’s Head. The shower favors northern hemisphere sky watchers with the best viewing times during the early evening hours as soon as it gets dark. That’s when the meteor radiant is highest.
Grab a warm blanket, face north or west and relax in a comfy chair. If you live in the northern U.S. and Canada, there’s a small chance for auroras Monday night from a recent solar flare. Maybe you’ll get lucky and see both sky shows!
** UPDATE Mon. Oct. 8 — A major outburst of the Draconids is happening right now. Click HERE to get the latest.