Meteor shower to peak as weekend draws to a close
The Draconid meteor shower is predicted to peak on Sunday night -- and stargazers won't have to lose any sleep to watch it.
Catch the peak of the Draconid meteor shower on the night of Oct. 8-9. The best time to view the shower is during the evening hours, making this perfect for kids to stargaze.
October's sky is performing an astronomical quartet that will kick off this weekend with an event for people of all ages.
The Draconid meteor shower will peak on Sunday evening, a minor meteor shower that takes place every year during the first half of October. Hourly rates usually crest around 10 shooting stars per hour, but it is the time that the event takes place that makes it worth a look.
Unlike many meteor showers that peak during the wee hours of the morning, the height of the Draconid occurs during the evening shortly after nightfall, according to EarthSky. This means that people have a chance to spot some shooting stars without needing to stay up late on a school night.
A fisherman watches a meteor during the Draconid meteor shower over Howick rocks in Northumberland. Picture date: Sunday October 10, 2021. (Photo by Owen Humphreys/PA Images via Getty Images)
Although it is easy to overlook the Draconids, it does have some upside.
Every so often, the Draconids explode into a meteor storm with hundreds to thousands of meteors per hour. Most recently, it produced over 100 meteors per hour in 2018 and over 600 per hour in 2011, according to EarthSky.
An outburst of this magnitude is not expected this year, but if luck favors skywatchers this year, the Draconids could exceed expectations.
Meteors will appear to radiate from the northwestern part of the sky on Sunday evening above the Big Dipper. However, shooting stars could appear in any area of the sky.
Folks who miss out on the upcoming Draconids will have another opportunity to view a meteor shower later in the month with the peak of the Orionid meteor shower.
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