The Draconid meteor shower is set to peak on Friday, and stargazers will have a short time frame to catch some shooting stars as the Draconids are short-lived.
Stargazers will have a better chance of spotting a shooting star flying through the sky in the evening hours, rather than the typical morning time for other showers. Most years, however, this shower produces just a handful of meteors per hour. But, on rare occasions, the Draconids have been known to spew hundreds of meteors within a single hour.
In 1933 and 1946, the Draconid meteor shower, refried to as Giaconbinids, spewed out thousands of meteors per hour. In Europe, skywatchers saw more than 600 within an hour in 2011.
The shower will be active this evening until Oct. 10, with the best viewing time on Oct. 8.
Tips for watching a meteor shower include:
- Dressing warmly,
- Bring hot coffee or tea,
- Bring a blanket or lawn chair, and
- Relax under the night sky.
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