Draconid Meteor Shower 2021

Draconid Meteor Shower

Meteor shower alert! – the Draconids are coming to a night sky near you. In 2021, peak activity occurs on the evening of 08 October. 

The Draconids typically produce between 5-10 meteors an hour. These meteors are caused by the Earth passing through the debris left behind comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner, which was first discovered in 1900. As this debris – mostly made of small dust grains – hits Earth’s atmosphere at high speed, it heats up and disintegrates in flashes of light that we call meteors.

While the Draconids are normally quite a minor meteor shower, they have been known to produce spectacular outbursts of hundreds or even thousands of meteors per hour, as happened in 1933, 1946, and 2011. We’re not expecting any outbursts in 2021, but meteor shower outbursts are notoriously hard to predict, so you never know!

Unlike most meteor showers, the Draconids peak in the early evening, after sunset, rather than middle of the night.

When to view meteors

The Draconids are named after the constellation Draco the Dragon  as this is the direction from which they appear to originate. While the meteors originate from this point they can be best seen 30 degrees away from Draco, stretching across large sections of the sky. 

To view the Draconids from the UK, head outside after sunset on the night of 08 October.

Look up, keep an eye on the whole sky, and find as dark a location as you can!

You do not need to look in any particular direction. Lean back, let your eyes adjust to the dark, and watch the whole sky (it helps to have friends look in different directions).

The darker the location the better, so find the darkest sky you can away from city lights.

As always in the UK, clouds can be an issue, but be patient.

You can look for the Draconids on other nights as well. This shower runs annually between 7-11 October.

Meteor Infographic

Download our National Space Centre Meteor Shower Guide to make sure you are fully prepared to watch the Draconids!

Other upcoming meteor showers for 2021 include:

Orionids
Comet of Origin: Halley
Radiant: constellation Orion
Peak Activity: 21/22 Oct 2021
Peak Activity Meteor Count: 10-20 meteors per hour

Taurids
Comet of Origin: 2P/Encke
Radiant: constellation Taurus
Peak Activity: 12 Nov 2021
Peak Activity Meteor Count: 10-20 meteors per hour

Leonids
Comet of Origin: 55P/Tempel-Tuttle
Radiant: constellation Leo
Peak Activity: 17/18 Nov 2021
Peak Activity Meteor Count: 10-20 meteors per hour

Geminids
Comet of Origin: 3200 Phaethon
Radiant: constellation Gemini
Peak Activity: 14 Dec 2021
Peak Activity Meteor Count: 120 meteors per hour

Ursids
Comet of Origin: 8P/Tuttle
Radiant: constellation Ursa Minor
Peak Activity: 22/23 December 2021
Peak Activity Meteor Count: 10 meteors per hour