Today:
The bright, bluish-white star Vega is due west and very high at 8:30 PM EDT. Vega is one of the nearer stars to us, at a distance of 26 light years. This young star is tinted blue because it is very hot, converting its hydrogen to helium at a much faster rate than our Sun. As a result, will burn out much sooner than our Sun.
Wednesday:
The Draconid Meteor Shower peaks this evening, although the bright, nearly Full Moon, hampers our view of this minor meteor shower, most years producing fewer than 10 per hour. Occasional bursts hundreds per hour have occurred when their parent comet, Giacobini-Zinner, swings through the inner Solar System every 6.6 years, most recently this March, perhaps enhancing their display.
Thursday:
Tonight’s waning gibbous moon is still nearly full, so its glare largely overwhelms the Pleiades, which appears along the lower left edge of the Moon. The Pleiades will probably require binoculars for all but the most eagle-eyed, in order to be visible. A little farther below the moon is the planet Uranus, which required binoculars even when not in the Moon’s glare.