Two meteor showers will peak on consecutive nights this week, including one known for bringing incredibly bright meteors known as fireballs. The back-to-back meteor showers will give stargazers of all ages several chances to spot some shooting stars right from their backyard.
Draconid meteor shower
When: Tuesday, Oct. 8 into Wednesday, Oct. 9
When: Tuesday, Oct. 8 into Wednesday, Oct. 9
October features the peak of three meteor showers, with the first reaching its climax on Tuesday evening.
“The Draconids meteor shower kicks off the fall meteor shower season,” Dave Samuhel, AccuWeather astronomy blogger and meteorologist, said.
The Draconids are considered a minor meteor shower with only around 10 meteors per hour but, on occasion, can fill the sky with hundreds of meteors. One such outburst happened in 2018 when observers in Europe counted over 140 meteors per hour, according to the International Meteor Organization.
An outburst like this is not expected in 2019. However, the Draconids are notorious for being unpredictable, so there is still a chance for a burst for an hour or two with much higher rates, Samuhel said.
Southern Taurid meteor shower
When: Wednesday, Oct. 9 into Thursday, Oct 10
When: Wednesday, Oct. 9 into Thursday, Oct 10
Immediately following the Draconids will be the Southern Taurids, the second meteor shower to peak in as many nights. Similar to the Draconids, the Southern Taurids are a minor shower with fewer than 10 meteors per hour, but don’t let the slim numbers discourage you.
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