Draconid meteor shower may light up UK skies tonight
Written by News on 08/10/2017
Stargazers could be in for a treat tonight as a meteor shower means dozens of shooting stars could be visible from the UK.
The Draconid meteor shower happens every October and is caused by the comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, which orbits the Sun every 6.6 years.
This weekend, Earth will pass through the cloud of debris and space dust left behind by the comet.
This will cause shooting stars to appear in the sky as the debris burns up after entering the atmosphere.
The Draconid meteor shower has produced thousands of meteors an hour in peak years.
But "no outburst is predicted for this year", according to astronomy website EarthSky.
Instead, a handful of meteors is expected to be produced every hour.
Stargazers hoping to spot shooting stars should look in the direction of the Draco constellation (the dragon) in the north sky.
The meteor shower is named after the constellation because when the shooting stars appear they look like they are coming from the constellation.
In years when the meteor shower is particularly strong the large number of shooting stars makes the dragon look like it is spitting fire.
The best time to try and spot shooting stars will be just before nightfall when the Draco constellation will be highest in the sky.
This year, a nearly full moon will make it harder to spot meteors as the night sky will be fairly light, but people in darker areas could still see shooting stars.
Binoculars and telescopes are not needed as it is best to observe meteors with the naked eye.
Anybody who misses this weekend’s spectacle will get another chance to spot shooting stars later in the month.
The Orionid meteor shower will take place and is expected to peak on 21 October.
(c) Sky News 2017: Draconid meteor shower may light up UK skies tonight
