You may see meteors in the sky Friday — if you’re lucky. What to know about Draconids

A meteor shower peaks Friday evening — but you’ll be extra lucky if you spot a shooting star.

The Draconids meteor shower peaks in the early evening, according to EarthSky. It’s a “short-lived” meteor shower that typically produces only a few meteors in an hour.

“This shower is usually a sleeper, producing only a handful of languid meteors per hour in most years,” EarthSky reported. “But watch out if the Dragon awakes!”

In some years, however, hundreds of meteors an hour can fly through the sky, according to NASA. Sometimes it can be up to 10 every minute.

“Most years, we pass through gaps between filaments, maybe just grazing one or two as we go by,” Bill Cooke, who heads NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office, said in a statement. “Occasionally, though, we hit one nearly head on — and the fireworks begin.”

This year, more meteors could be visible because the shower happens two days after the new moon, according to Space.com.

The waxing crescent moon shouldn’t keep stargazers from seeing the meteors, EarthSky reported.

“Because this year’s Draconid meteor shower occurs so close to the new moon, in the absence of bright moonlight more meteors may be visible in the night sky,” Space.com reported.

The Draconid shower is active between Oct. 6 and Oct. 10 every year, according to EarthSky.

Unlike other meteor showers that are viewed in the early morning hours, the Draconid meteor shower is best spotted once it gets dark, Space.com reported.

This story was originally published October 8, 2021 at 11:36 AM with the headline "You may see meteors in the sky Friday — if you’re lucky. What to know about Draconids."