Yesterday evening (Oct 9, about 10:00pm), I saw a meteor. I was out walking with my son (holding him); we were looking at the stars and Jupiter, which is very bright this year. I first spotted the meteor when it was almost directly overhead. Although it was moving quickly, I was able to track its bright orange trail for a second before the trail disappeared, and from that point an expanding sphere of dim red flecks flared out for an instant. It was very exciting for me, not only to see a meteor but to actually watch it explode!
Researched after the fact, I learned from the Farmer's Almanac that it was likely part of the Draconid Meteor Shower from the Giacobini-Zinner comet. Only 6 meteors should be visible per hour on a clear moonless night in a rural area, so my chance encounter in a major metro area with some clouds (it rained heavily starting an hour later) was quite lucky indeed!
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