Draconid meteor shower: Here's when it peaks and how to watch

It's that time of year again when a visual spectacle will light up the night sky.

The short-lived Draconid meteor shower is active every October in the Northern Hemisphere and is occurring this week between Oct. 6 and Oct. 10. However, the shower will peak this year around Oct. 8.

RELATED STORY | Earth will temporarily have a second moon, scientists say

A waxing crescent moon won't be illuminating the skies too much, bringing darker conditions that will make it much easier to spot the handful of expected meteors each hour.

The radiant point of this meteor shower, where all the meteors appear to originate, is near the head of the constellation, Draco the Dragon, which is a little higher in the sky compared to the Big Dipper.

According to NASA Science, the Draconids occur when Earth passes through space debris left behind by Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. The small comet measures just over one mile in diameter, but every time it passes through the inner solar system, it sheds debris that then enters Earth's atmosphere and creates burning bursts of light that streak across the night sky.

RELATED STORY | SpaceX wins contract to bring International Space Station out of orbit by 2030

To view the Draconid meteor shower, you won't need a telescope or any special equipment.

It's best to find a place outside away from light pollution, then simply sit back and relax as you take in as much of the night sky as possible and hopefully spot one of the Draconids as it shoots overhead.