Draconid meteor shower: How to see it in the UK this weekend

Rob Waugh
·Contributor
Updated ·2 min read
The Draconid meteor shower happens in autumn each year. (Getty)
The Draconid meteor shower happens in autumn each year. (Getty)

The Draconid meteor shower could see shooting stars streak across British skies in the early evening this week.

The annual meteor shower peaks on the 8 and 9 October this year, but meteors could continue until the 10.

Stargazers are advised that the best time to see the meteor shower is in the evening just after nightfall – unlike most meteor showers, which peak in the early hours.

According to the Royal Museums Greenwich website: "The whole Draconid meteor shower in 2023 occurs at the last quarter of the moon and a few days later, so observing conditions are reasonable."

The Draconid meteors are caused when Earth collides with bits of debris shed by the comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner.

Read more

A fisherman watches a meteor during the Draconid meteor shower over Howick rocks in Northumberland. Picture date: Sunday October 10, 2021.
A fisherman watches a meteor during the Draconid meteor shower over Howick rocks in Northumberland in October 2021. (Alamy)

Why are they called the Draconids?

They're called Draconids, as the meteors appear to travel from a point near the head of Draco the Dragon, a constellation that is visible all year for most people with a view of the northern sky.

Space experts say that the Draconids can be a little unpredictable, and don’t always deliver a big display.

Bruce McClure of astrology website Earthsky writes:"The Draconid shower is usually a sleeper, rarely offering more than five meteors per hour.

"But watch out if the dragon awakes. The Draconid meteor shower produced awesome meteor displays in 1933 and 1946, with thousands of meteors per hour seen in those years. European observers saw over 600 meteors per hour in 2011."

The comet orbits the sun once every 6.6 years, leaving tendrils of dust in its wake.

Usually the Draconid meteor shower delivers no more than 10 to 20 meteors per hour at its peak.

What's the best way to see the Draconids?

Royal Museums Greenwich advises: "Meteor showers are best seen with a good, clear view of the stars on a night with no clouds. Try to find somewhere with dark skies, an unobstructed horizon and very little light pollution.

"Make sure there are no direct sources of light in your eyes, so that you can fully adapt to the local conditions and ensure that fainter meteors become visible.

"There’s no advantage to using binoculars or a telescope; just look up with your own eyes to take in the widest possible view of the sky."