Draconid Meteor Shower: See Post-Sunset ‘Shooting Stars’ This Week

Seeing "shooting stars" can take some commitment, but not so the Draconid meteor shower, which peaks on the evening of Monday, Oct. 7, 2024.

It's not the most prolific meteor shower of the year, far from it, but it is the most convenient. Instead of having to stay up till midnight and into the small hours to see lightning-quick shooting stars popping in a dark sky, the Draconids tend to show themselves just after sunset.

Here's everything you need to know about seeing "shooting stars" during the peak of the Draconid meteor shower this week.

When To Watch The Draconid Meteor Shower

Occurring from Oct. 6-10, but peaking after dark midnight on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, the Draconid meteor shower is an annual event that sees about 10 "shooting stars" per hour visible in the early evening night sky.

"Shooting stars" are very tiny meteoroids that Earth's atmosphere busts into as it orbits the sun. They charge up as they strike that atmosphere and release photons of light as they discharge.

When And Where To Watch The Draconid Meteor Shower

Meteor showers are associated with a particular constellation. In this case, it's Draco, "the dragon." When a meteor shower source constellation is highest in the sky, that's the time to go looking for its shooting stars. However, Draco is in the northern sky, which is circumpolar — visible all night. To the north is where Earth's northern axis points, so all of the stars and constellations appear to revolve around the North Star, Polaris.

So, from the Northern Hemisphere, all you have to do is look north generally right after dark. However, you don't need to know where Draco is because they can appear anywhere in the night sky.

What Causes The Draconid Meteor Shower

The Draconids are caused by Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, which leaves debris and dust in its path as it travels into the inner solar system to loop around the sun. It's a short-period comet, last in the inner solar system in 2018. It will return again next year.

How To Find The Draco Constellation

Although you don't need to know where the Draco constellation is in the night sky, this is a good opportunity to try to find it. The first thing to know is that it is vast, found snaking between Hercules, Cepheus, Ursa Minor and Ursa Major.

Ursa Major is home to the familiar shape of the Big Dipper, so let's begin there. The Big Dipper is presently very low on the horizon (recall the memory aid: "spring up, fall down"). Look above it, and you'll see Draco.

When Is The Next Meteor Shower?

There are two meteor showers in October, with the Draconids a taster for the Orionid meteor shower, which will peak in the early hours of Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. Like the Draonids, it's caused by a comet, but in this case, it's much more famous— Halley's Comet . The Orionids tend to spit between 10 and 20 "shooting stars" per hour.

Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.