Today:
The Draconid Meteor Shower peaks this evening, and the absence of the Moon allows star gazers dark skies to catch this minor event, 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, next in 2025.
Wednesday:
Autumn has not discouraged the Summer Triangle, just given us a different view. Seen crossing overhead near midnight in the summer, it now appears overhead in the evening. Look for the faintest of the three stars, Deneb, close to the zenith this evening, while Altair shines in the southwest, and the bluish-white Vega gleams sharply, high in the west.
Thursday:
Directly overhead this evening at 8:10 PM is Deneb, the tail of the Swan, or the top of the Northern Cross. Although Deneb appears as the faintest star of the Summer Triangle, it is by far the most powerful. While Vega shines 40 times brighter than our Sun, and Altair about 10 times brighter, Deneb emits an estimated 200 thousand times more light!