Draconid Meteor Shower

By Astro-Observer · Last reviewed November 8, 2026

Active

October 6 – October 10

Peak

Around October 8–9

Peak rate (ZHR)

5 (uncertain; 150 to 300 in recent outbursts)

Radiant

Draco (17h 28m, +54°)

Speed

20 km/s (slow)

Parent comet

21P/Giacobini-Zinner

Best seen from

Northern Hemisphere

Best time

In the evening, soon after dark

Next peaks

Expected peak (UTC)	Moon at peak	Moonlight
October 9, 2027, around 7h	Waxing gibbous, 67% lit	Bright Moon
October 8, 2028, around 13h	Waning gibbous, 79% lit	Bright Moon

Computed from the shower's peak solar longitude (λ☉ 195.4°). Real peaks can come a few hours early or late, and you will see meteors on the nights either side. The peak hour may be in daylight where you are; watch the darkest hours of the nearest night.

The Draconids are unusual: they are best in the evening, when the radiant in Draco is highest, and they are unpredictable. Most years bring a few slow meteors an hour, but twice in the 20th century the shower produced meteor storms.

Where the meteors come from

The Draconids come from Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, which orbits the Sun about every 6.5 years. Discovered by Michel Giacobini in 1900 and found again by Ernst Zinner in 1913, it leaves a fresh trail of dust on each pass. Rates depend on whether Earth meets a young, dense trail or only older dust.

When to watch

The shower is active from October 6 to 10 and peaks around October 8–9; the table above gives the expected peak time and Moon phase. From mid-northern latitudes the radiant is about 50 degrees up in the northwest at nightfall and sinks through the night, so start as soon as it is dark. From 40°N it never quite sets, but by the early morning hours it is only a few degrees above the northern horizon.

How to find the radiant

The radiant is at the head of Draco, the Dragon, a small lopsided figure of four stars. Start from Vega, the bright star high in the west after dark. The Dragon's head lies about 15 degrees to the right of Vega and a little lower. The radiant is on the head's western side, just north of the star Rastaban.

What to expect

In a normal year the ZHR is about 5: two to four an hour from a dark site in the early evening, one or two from the suburbs, with an average mix of bright and faint. Draconids are among the slowest of all meteors and drift across the sky.

Viewing tips

Start when twilight ends, while the radiant is high.
Slow Draconids are easy to tell from the fast Orionids.
Check IMO's yearly calendar for outburst predictions.
No alarm clock needed, so it's a good shower for children.

History and notable displays

The Draconids produced two of the 20th century's great meteor storms. On the evening of October 9, 1933, the storm was seen over Europe, and observers reported about 2,400 to 5,400 meteors an hour (roughly 40 to 90 a minute). Later estimates of the peak ZHR range from about 5,400 to 10,000, and a few go as high as 30,000. The storm of the night of October 9–10, 1946 was watched from Europe and North America and recorded by radar as well as by eye; published estimates of its peak ZHR run from about 2,000 to 10,000. Even the lowest figures are well above the 1,000 an hour that defines a storm. More recently, a predicted outburst in 2011 reached a ZHR of about 300, an unexpected one in 2012 was rich in faint radar meteors, and 2018 gave a ZHR of about 150 for four hours.

About the numbers. The ZHR (zenithal hourly rate) is how many meteors one observer would see in an hour under a perfectly dark sky with the radiant straight overhead. Real counts are almost always lower: under suburban skies, or with the radiant low, expect a half to a quarter of it, or less.