Draconid Meteor Shower Begins Monday After Sunset

The Draconid meteor shower can be seen erupting Monday night just after sunset in the United States.

According to EarthSky, the shower is predicted to produce the largest number of meteors Monday night, though Tuesday may be worth pulling the lawn chair out into the backyard for, too.

Not the showiest of showers, the Draconids are popular based on the fact that they are best seen in the evening, rather than just before dawn. Viewing will be further enhanced this year by a thin waxing crescent Moon.

Just how many meteors it will produce is unclear: during 1933 and 1946, the busiest years to date, thousands of meteors were observed every hour. Two years ago was another fairly busy year with more than 600 meteors per hour tracked.

The reason for this, EarthSky reports, has to do with the location of the comet from which the meteors originate. In 2011, for example, the comet was at perihelion, or closest to the Sun in its orbit, meaning it was closer to the Earth than in other years.

Of the 2011 shower, NASA's Bill Cooke told the Los Angeles Times, "Most years we just pass through gaps between filaments... Occasionally, though, we hit one nearly head on -- and the fireworks begin."

The Draconids were named after the manner in which the meteors appear to emanate from the northern constellation, Draco the Dragon, located just above the Little Dipper.

The comet from which they actually emanate from, Giacobani-Zinner, orbits the Sun every 6.6 years.

When it comes to taking th leader in terms of most brilliant meteor showers, the Perseids, which occur around mid-August, are is the clear winner, according to Cooke.

An analysis of data collected over a four year period released this summer showed revealed that the Perseids are the "fireball champion" of annual meteor showers, with meteoroids hitting the Earth's atmosphere at a speed of 132,000 mph.

The reason for the Perseid's intensity, Cooke explains, is directly related to the size of the parent comet.

"Comet Swift-Tuttle has a huge nucleus -- about 26 km in diameter," he said. "Most other comets are much smaller, with nuclei only a few kilometers across. As a result, Comet Swift-Tuttle produces a large number of meteoroids, many of which are large enough to produce fireballs."

Whether the Perseids or the Draconids, however, astronomers recommend that those looking for a clear show steer clear of bright lights and give their eyes enough time to adjust to the darkness before expecting to see anything.