This cluster is one of the closest to our Sun, sitting at 610 light-years distant. Seen with the naked eye in dark skies, the Beehive appears as a nebulous mass. Through binoculars or telescopes, though, the cluster reveals itself as a loose grouping of sparkling stars.

There’s one more treat in store: The brilliant star Regulus will be just to the upper right of Venus, completing the group. While this blue-white star sits 79 light-years distant from our sun, it shines brightly, giving Jupiter a little competition in the night sky.

A little temperamental in nature, the Draconids are scant in some years and plentiful in others, such as 2012, when viewers recorded up to a thousand meteors per hour.