Editor's note: Big restaurant news and real estate rumblings lead this round of top stories. Read on for more of the week's most popular headlines.
1. Austin restaurant institution closes after 31 years to prep for new owners. More changes are on the horizon for the Austin restaurant scene. After 31 years in business, dining institution Hudson's on the Bend has been sold.
2. These are the five most expensive homes for sale in Austin right now. Where do Austin's elite live? We sought out five of the most expensive properties currently on the market for a glimpse into the top luxury homes in the city.
3. Most charming neighborhoods in Austin revealed. It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, and Austin boasts five areas that would make even Mr. Rogers want to pick up and move. That's according to apartment search website RentLingo, which created heat maps across the country to determine which local neighborhoods have the most charm.
4. Starter homes in Austin have all but disappeared, warns new report. It's becoming increasingly difficult to own property in Austin. Not only is there a lack of housing availability but there's also a lack of affordable options — and it's only getting worse.
5. Beloved Austin swimming hole institutes big changes for summer season. If the recent gorgeous weather has you dreaming of Hamilton Pool's pristine waters, you may want to act fast, as changes are coming to the beloved swimming hole this summer.
A meteor shower will be visible from most of North America, including Austin, during the week of October 6-10.
The Draconid meteor shower – also called the Giacobinids – was predicted to produce the most meteor activity on the night of October 7 and through the early hours of October 8, but there is still time to catch the tail end.
There will still be sightings on subsequent nights, stargazing experts say.
According to EarthSky, a cool website devoted to all things starry, the Draconids will be visible right after it gets dark, rather than the more common early morning hours most meteor showers are visible.
The best time will be just after sunset, until around midnight. Viewers won't have to stay up until the crack of dawn.
Helping to make the meteor even more visible is a waxing moon, barely a crack, which will cast less light and keep the sky darker overall.
EarthSky says that the meteors are radiating from two stars known as the Dragon’s Eyes, called Eltanin and Rastaban, found in the constellation Draco. Which is located in between the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper.
However, the meteor shower will be visible across the sky.
The shower is dubbed a "sleeper" in that it produces only a handful of meteors — 10 per hour. But they move slower, so the duration of each streak of light sometimes lasts longer — one to two seconds, rather than a rapid flash.
Meteor showers consist of debris left behind by comets and asteroids, which throw off bits of rock and ice as they orbit the sun. The Draconids are the result of Earth passing through this trail from the comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. The comet completes an orbit of the sun about every seven years, and according to CNN, the last time it got this close to Earth was in September, 2018.
The best way to see it is to find a place that's far from artificial light, then lie on your back and look up at the sky with a wide view. No special equipment is needed.
