Weather & Moon To Cooperate For Possible View Of Unique October Meteor Shower

DENVER (CBS4) - October 2015 will feature two meteor showers for those who love to gaze at the night sky.

The first is the Draconid meteor shower and it will peak this week, on Oct. 8-9. They radiate from the mouth of the northern constellation Draco the Dragon.

What makes this meteor shower so unique is that it peaks right around sunset whereas most other meteor showers are best seen before dawn.

The weather across Colorado over the next few nights should cooperate for the most part but some clouds and a few showers around sunset are expected in north-central and northeast Colorado due to a cold front arriving late Thursday.

Friday night's forecast is looking just about perfect.

The moon will also cooperate over the next few nights since it rises after midnight and is entering a new phase.

One downside to the Draconid meteor shower is that it is typically not a very active one. Earthsky.org says one can expect to see a few each hour, but every now and then the dragon wakes up and puts on quite a show.

As with all meteor showers the best place to be is away from the city lights where you have an open, dark sky. Look up in a north or northwest direction.

In just a few weeks we'll have a second meteor shower. It's the popular Orionids that peak around Oct. 21-22.

Meteorologist Chris Spears writes about stories related to weather and climate in Colorado. Check out his bio, connect with him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @ChrisCBS4.