Keep your eyes on the night skies to see the elusive Draconid meteor shower, expected to peak Monday evening into early Tuesday.
Unlike many meteor showers, the Draconids aren't ones you'll have to stay up late to witness because the shower is most visible just after nightfall and throughout the evening hours, rather than the early morning, according to EarthSky. And the moon will be only 27% illuminated in its current phase, which will allow better visibility of the faint meteors once night falls.However, the Draconid meteor shower is on the sparse side.
The Draconid meteors move slower than those witnessed during other showers, meaning they can be visible for one or two seconds.The chance of witnessing an outburst of Draconids meteors streaking across the sky, called a meteor storm, can be a captivating possibility for stargazers. Although it's a "sleepy" shower compared with some of the larger showers - which typically produce more meteors more quickly - later this year, "the dragon" can be full of surprises.
The comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner completes an orbit of the sun about every seven years, and the last time it made its closest approach to Earth, in September 2018, many reported seeing an outburst during the meteor shower. The next close approach of the comet won't occur until 2025, but an outburst is always possible.
If you live in an urban area, you might want to take a drive to avoid city lights, which can make the meteor shower seem faint. Camping out in the country can triple the number of visible meteors, scientists from NASA said.
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