First of 2 October meteor showers to light up the sky this week

If the next few nights are going to be clear enough for us to get some frost, then the lack of cloud cover means we should all have a good shot at seeing the first of two meteor showers that will be zipping across the sky this month.

October is the prime month for the Draconids – and later in the month will also be peak time for the Orionid meteor shower.

First, let’s look at this week: According to NASA’s skywatching blog, Oct. 6 to 10 is the prime window for seeing the Draconid meteors.

Now, these don’t come in a frenzy. NASA says we can expect to see a handful of meteors per hour with this shower.

What we’re seeing are the debris that formed behind comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner getting flashy as it’s burned in the Earth’s atmosphere.

“These meteors originate from nearby the head of the constellation Draco the dragon in the northern sky and the shower can produce up to 10 meteors per hour,” NASA said.

The Draconids are peaking tonight. And our recent Harvest Moon is still bright in the night sky, which could make these a little harder to see. For best results, look up and to the north with the moon at your back.

Next Up: The Orionids. This meteor shower is the bigger deal this month. The debris stream from the more famous Halley’s Comet can produce about 20 “shooting stars” per hour.

It is set to peak on Oct. 21. This is good timing because we’ll have a “new moon” then, which means the moon will pretty much be invisible to us and we won’t have any pesky moonlight obscuring our view.

“With a moonless sky, you’re much more likely to catch a fireball careening through the night,” NASA’s blog said.

The Orionids stay in our sky through Nov. 22.