Draconid Meteor Shower Peaks Oct 8-9 With Bright Moon

The Draconid meteor shower will reach its peak this week, offering skywatchers across the Northern Hemisphere a chance to see shooting stars on the evening of Oct. 8 and into the early hours of Oct. 9, though a bright moon may limit how many meteors are visible. The shower is active from Oct. 6 through Oct. 10, and observers are being advised to look toward the northern and northwestern sky shortly after sunset, when the shower's radiant in the constellation Draco is highest.

The Draconids originate from debris left by Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. Earth passes through that debris stream each October, and particles entering the atmosphere burn up and produce the streaks of light commonly called meteors. In most years the shower is modest, yielding around 10 or fewer meteors per hour and producing slow, graceful trails. The Draconids are unusual in that they are best seen in the early evening rather than in the predawn hours favored by many other showers because the radiant climbs high soon after nightfall.

Occasionally the Draconids intensify dramatically. Historical meteor storms occurred in 1933, 1946 and 2011 when Earth passed through especially dense clumps of cometary debris....