The Draconid Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight. Here’s How to See It
October's first meteor shower is here.
Brace yourselves, weird sky lovers because tonight you will have the chance to see the Draconid Meteor Shower at its peak. Here is everything you need to know to ensure you don’t miss it.
Oftentimes, you have to be up way past your bedtime in order to see meteors soaring through the night sky. This is an especially tough beat for parents who are hoping to teach their kids about the beauties of the great beyond. But one of the best things about this particular meteor shower is that it is expected to be most active in the early evening, meaning it’s a perfect activity for the family.
Around nightfall, you should be able to see the meteors in the sky. The best way to ensure you get a quality look at the meteor shower is to head to a place that is dark, and ideally somewhat isolated so that artificial light doesn’t hinder your view of the sky. And while the Draconid’s awesome name comes from the fact that the meteor shower occurs near the head of the constellation Draco the Dragon in the northern sky, you don’t have to locate it in order to see the meteors. But if you are looking for it, it’s between the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper, making it fairly easy to find.
It is worth knowing that this is not the most active meteor shower we’ll be seeing this month (that would be the Orionid Shower in a couple weeks). In fact, experts believe there will only be about five visible meteors per hour, even at Draconid’s peak.
If you aren’t able to make tonight work, you may still have a chance. If we’re lucky, you may also get to see a few a night or two after. But tonight is definitely the peak, so if you don’t have any plans, start your weekend off right with a little bit of sky magic.
