This week marks the start of the meteor shower called Draconid, an annual occurrence that brings around 10 "shooting stars" appear in the night sky every hour.
It's better seen in the dark sky, like all meteor showers, which takes diligence, but while most other displays are only seen after midnight, the Draconids have something completely different. This one can be seen directly after sunset. Actually, it will be at its best in the night, and there's an explanation for that.
Here's what you need to know about watching the Draconid meteor shower.
What is it?
The Draconid meteor shower is an annual phenomenon occurring from Oct. 6-10, but peaking after dark midnight on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020.
What's behind the Draconid meteor shower?
It is caused by a comet. When they travel across space, comets leave a trail of meteoroids, debris, and dust. When a comet intersects the orbital path of the Earth around the Sun, it leaves meteoroids that will eventually have to pass through Earth on the next orbit around the Sun.
Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, which was last in the Solar System in 2018 and will appear again in 2025, is the perpetrator this time around. So this is a meteor shower that gets renewed regularly, but relative to other meteor showers, it is a minor occurrence.
Meteor showers are often named after the night sky's particular point from where the shooting stars tend to come. While they will appear as streaks of fast-moving lights everywhere in the night sky, if you chase those streaks down, you can get to a specific target, the radiant point of the meteor shower.
The radiant is the constellation of Draco, the dragon or snake, also called the "Dragon of the North," for this meteor shower.
Where to look to see the meteor shower
In reality, Draco could be difficult to spot in the night sky because it's made up of stars that aren't too bright. Near to Hercules, Cepheus, Ursa Minor, and Ursa Major, the latter name of the Big Dipper, it is a wonderful constellation.
So just look above the Big Dipper if you want to see where the shooting stars are coming from, but make sure to look on the northern horizon after dusk. They will appear anywhere in the sky, though. Just make sure the artificial light is away from you.
When will the next meteor shower take place?
In October, there are two meteor showers, with the Draconids shortly followed by the Orionid meteor shower, which occurs on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, in the very early hours. The result of the debris left by Halley's Comet in the Solar System is predicted to see between 10 to 20 shooting stars every hour at that period.
