FIREBALLS!! Don't forget to check this cool thing out Tues and Wed night!!
Fireballs may flash across night sky as 2 meteor showers peak this week
Fall is also the unofficial beginning of meteor shower season. This month kicks off with three meteor showers. Let's find out more about what's up in the sky for the month of October.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. 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, saiid..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. Unlike most meteor showers that are best viewed during the second half of the night, the Draconids come in greatest numbers before midnight. “This is a good shower for younger stargazers, especially since the shower peaks on a school night,” Samuhel said.
Unfortunately, the moon will be in the sky during this part of the night, so stargazers should look for meteors in areas of the sky away from the bright moonlit sky. Mainly cloud-free conditions are in the forecast across much of the United States on Tuesday night for the Drocinids, but clouds could hinder views