This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Catch the Peak of the 2013 Draconid Meteor Shower Tonight

Perfect night to see the stars!

By Todd Richissin

Meteor showers can put on a great show—when there's a clear sky.

Tonight should be ideal conditions to check out the Draconid meteor shower 2013 peak. The forecast says skies above us should be clear as a bell Tuesday, the best time to catch a glimpse.

Find out what's happening in Bataviawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The dates for the Draconids 2013 peak are Oct. 7 and 8, followed a couple weeks later by the usually (but not this year) more reliable Orionid meteor shower peak — which this year is followed by the chance to see the Comet ISON in November.

The Draconid meteor shower has its good, bad and hopeful sides.

Find out what's happening in Bataviawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The good: Because of its position in the sky, you can see the Draconid meteor shower closer to sunset than to sunrise.

The bad: Most years, the Draconid meteor shower is not a shower at all, producing only a handful of slow-moving meteors.

The hopeful: When the Draconids shower hits, it really hits, at times producing several hundred meteors in an hour. And with just a sliver of moon for the 2013 Draconids peak, there could be a great show in the skies.

The best place to watch is the darkest place possible.

Stargazers locally should try Peck Farm Park in Geneva.

Earthsky.org has these tips from anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere:

These extremely slow-moving Draconid meteors, when traced backward, radiate from the head of Draco the Dragon, near the stars Eltanin and Rastaban. However, you don’t have to locate Draco the Dragon to watch the Draconids, for these meteors fly every which way through the starry sky.

Simply find a dark, open sky away from artificial lights. Plan to spend a few hours lounging comfortably under the stars. Bring along a reclining lawn chair, have your feet point in a general north or northwest direction and look upward. If you don’t know your cardinal directions, just lie down and look upward. Chill, and enjoy! You might see some meteors. 


We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?