Stargazers are gearing up for a spectacular Draconid meteor shower that will bring Australia’s skies to life on Thursday night.
Viewers north of Brisbane will get the best views of the sky show that takes place in early October each year.
The meteor shower will be most visible for those living in remote areas with clear skies and little pollution just after sunset with as many as 10 shooting stars per hour.
‘These meteors are often faint so it would help to observe from rural areas where interfering lights are less of a problem,’ American Meteor Society stated on its website last week.
‘The more stars you can see, the more meteors you will witness.’
Keep your eyes peeled for the Draconid meteor shower that will bring the night sky to life on Thursday night. Pictured is the display seen from Russky Island in 2018
Experts believe this year’s Draconid meteor shower will produce more activity than displays in previous years.
It will be most visible on the other side of the world in the northern hemisphere.
‘While the radiant will lie above the horizon for a large area of the Earth stretching from western Asia to North America, these timings favor the east coast of North America where the radiant will be located high in the sky at the time of the predicted passages,’ the American Meteor Society added.
‘These meteors can also be seen from tropical areas of the southern hemisphere, but at a reduced rate due to the lower radiant altitude.’
The meteor shower will be most visible for those living in remote areas with clear skies. Pictured is the display seen from Russky Island in 2018
The best way to view the meteor shower is to sit in a reclining chair or lying on your back with no special equipment required.
Unlike most meteor showers, the Draconids are best viewed in the evening, just after nightfall, and can vary from a few per hour to hundreds.
‘Watch for these meteors as soon as darkness falls, and take advantage of the moon-free hours at nightfall and early evening,’ EarthSky states.
The annual ‘show’ happens as the Earth passes through debris left behind by icy comet Giacobini-Zinner as it broke up when its orbit brought it closer to the sun.
The Draconids meteor shower is best viewed in the evening just after sunset
Tiny meteors made from the fragments of the comet burn up as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere – streaking across the night sky as ‘shooting stars’.
Stargazers look forward to more meteor showers in the coming weeks.
The Orionids will peak on October 20-21, followed by the Southern Taurids on the October 29-30.
The Northern Taurids and Leonids will be seen on November 11-12 and November 16-17 respectively.
Stargazers north of Brisbane (pictured) will get the best views of the Draconid meteor shower
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How to view the spectacular Draconid meteor shower
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