Draconids 2016 Oct 7th/8

[JB80]

This years Draconids may not amount to much but I haven't seen it posted elsewhere so here is a belated heads up for tonight. All info from the earthsky link below as they usually give a good write up. 

http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-draconid-meteor-shower

Quote

October’s Draconid meteor shower – sometimes called the Giacobinids – radiates from the fiery mouth of the northern constellation Draco the Dragon. Because the radiant is located so far north on the sky’s dome, this shower favors temperate and far-northern latitudes, such as the U.S., Canada, Europe and northern Asia. In 2016, the peak date will probably be on the evening of October 7, starting at nightfall. There’s a rather wide waxing crescent moon to obscure this year’s shower, and this shower is often a sleeper, even in a dark sky completely free of moonlight. But watch out if the Dragon awakes, which is always a possibility! Follow the links below to learn more about the Draconid meteor shower.

Where is the radiant point of the Draconid shower, and how many Draconids will I see? Unlike most meteor showers, the Draconids are best seen in the evening, instead of before dawn. That’s because the winged Dragon, the shower’s radiant point, flies highest in the sky at nightfall.

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.

Usually, this meteor shower offers no more than a handful of languid meteors per hour, even at its peak. Plus, in 2016, the waxing crescent moon will somewhat intrude on this year’s show. But this shower has been known to rain down hundreds or even thousands of meteors in an hour. And in fact it’s the history of this shower that makes it so interesting. See the history section, below.

No outburst is predicted for this year, but then, you never know for sure. Remember – no matter where you are on Earth – the radiant for this meteor shower is highest up in the evening. October 7 is the evening to watch.

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. Enjoy!

If nothing else this could be a nice practice run for the upcoming Orionids and Leonids.