Not only are we lucky enough to be getting a full moon this week. From today until Monday (October 10), you can see the Draconid meteor showers – aka shooting stars – anywhere in the northern hemisphere too.
And the good thing is you don’t need to camp out outside at all hours of the night – it should be visible as soon it gets dark. Here’s everything you need to know about the Draconid meteor shower, including how and when to see them.
What are the Draconids?
The October Draconids are a meteor shower whose parent body is the periodic comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. They are named after the constellation Draco, where they are said to have come from. Almost all meteors that fall towards Earth erode long before reaching its surface.
What is a meteor shower?
A meteor shower is a celestial event in which a number of meteors can be seen radiating from one point in the night sky. They are caused by streams of cosmic debris called meteoroids entering Earth’s atmosphere at extremely high speeds on parallel trajectories.
When can I see the Draconid meteor shower?
The October Draconids should be visible over the next few days, with most visibility on October 8 and 9.
How can I see the shooting stars?
You don’t need to wait until the early hours of the morning to see this, or even go very far. You don’t even need a fancy telescope – you can simply look up with the naked eye. For optimal conditions, head somewhere really dark and which isn’t too badly affected by light pollution.
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