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in mind, though, that in most years this hard-to-predict shower doesn't offer much more than a handful of languid meteors per hour.
• But watch out if the dragon awakes. Last year - in 2011 - the numbers soared into the hundreds. But no elevated meteor numbers are forecast for this year.
• You don't really have to identify the radiant point of a meteor shower in order to watch the Draconids or any shower. Assuming the radiant is above your horizon, the meteors will streak all over the sky. If you trace the paths of the Draconid meteors backward, they appear to radiate from the Dragon's fiery mouth. But you don't need to identify the stars of Draco the Dragon to see the slow-moving Draconid meteors.
• Still, identifying a meteor shower radiant point is fun. It's especially fun with the Draconids, which radiate from the constellation Draco the Dragon. The Dragon's two brightest stars - Eltanin and Rastaban - are near the radiant point for the Draconids. These stars represent the Dragon's eyes. Find them tonight!
• Legendary Draconid meteors peak on evening October 7
• Eltanin and Rastaban: Dragon's eyes
• Our sky chart shows the northwestern quadrant of sky and covers a lot more area than most of our charts do. The Big Dipper sits low in the northwest, especially as seen from the southern states. Obstructions on the horizon may even hide the Big Dipper from view. If you can spot it low in the sky, use the Big Dipper to star-hop to the stars Polaris and Arcturus.
• In 2012, the moon-free evenings will provide a dark sky for seeing Draco the (Continued on page 15)
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