October is a great month for all lovers of sky observers and stargazers. The month started with a full Harvest Moon and it also ends with a lovely full moon spectacle. Mars also made its closest approach to the Earth a day ago. It is also the month in which not one but two meteor showers take place. The first one which is active right now is the Draconid Meteor Shower. The peak of this meteor shower is the night between October 8 and 9. So tonight is a good chance that you may get to see some 'shooting stars.' We tell more details about when and how you can see them.

Draconid Meteor Shower 2020 Dates

The Draconid shower is active between October 6 and 10. The best time to spot any meteors is during their peak. The peak of the Draconids in 2020 is between the night of October 7 and 9.

What is Draconid Meteor Shower?

Draconids, also called Giacobinids, it is a meteor shower whose parent body is the periodic comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. It is not very intense unlike the other meteor showers, as about only 10 meteors per hour can be seen during this shower. The draconids are dust grains left behind by comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner. This comet takes about 6.6 years to make a single revolution around the Sun. The shower gets the name after its point of origin in the constellation Draco. Orionid Meteor Shower 2020 Dates in India: Know When and How to Watch The Beautiful Display of Meteors That Peak This Month.

Where and How to Watch The Draconid Meteors?

This meteor shower favours the Northern Hemisphere so you can see it in India as well. A specialty about this meteor shower is you do not necessarily stay up into the late night to catch a glimpse of them. The Draconids are best seen in the evening, instead of before dawn. This is because the constellation Draco from which these meteors originate is at the highest point in sky after nightfall. So start observing the sky from the time it starts to get dark. To carefully observe meteors one needs to get away from the city lights, and a point where there is no light pollution.

In case, you miss the draconids, do not worry as there is another brighter shower, the Orionids coming in weeks from now. Astronomers do not consider the Draconid shower as interesting as the other annual displays.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 08, 2020 02:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).