Attention stargazers! The Draconid meteor shower peaks tonight (October 8) and you don’t even have to stay up late for a chance to see them. Draconid meteors can be observed from October 6 to 10 as Earth moves through the debris stream left by comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, which returns to the inner solar system once every 6.6 years to refresh the trail of meteoroids that trigger the annual meteor shower. showers, the Draconids are best seen at night, just a few hours after sunset, making them wonderfully accessible to both newcomers and veteran meteorite hunters! Draconid shooting stars will appear to move away from an apparent point of origin, or radiant, located in the constellation Draco, the “dragon,” whose faint stars can be found shining high in the northwest sky after sunset in October. When is the best time to spot Draconid meteors? The Draconids are expected to reach their maximum activity around 9 p.m. EDT on October 8 (0100 GMT on October 9), making it the ideal time to observe shooting stars belonging to the shower for stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere, according to NASA. You might like How to Measure Distances in the Night Sky Using Nothing But Your Hand. (Image credit: Created in Canva Pro) Find a patch of sky about 40 degrees away from the radiant, where the meteors will be most spectacular, and wait 30 minutes for your eyes to fully adjust to the darkness. Under ideal conditions, the Draconids can produce around 5 meteors per hour during their peak, but are capable of producing spectacular displays on rare occasions. One such burst took place in 1933, when observers in Europe observed a staggering 500 shooting stars crossing the sky every minute. In 2018, another brief burst caused the speed to soar above 100 meteors per hour, according to EarthSky. Canon EOS R8 (Image credit: Canon) The EOS R8 offers the essential interval shooting functionality you need to capture meteors without breaking the bank. It has a 24MP full-frame sensor and -6.5EV low-light autofocus. Pair it with the budget-friendly RF 16mm f/2.8 STM lens to capture a wide swath of the sky._Canon EOS R8 Review These spikes arose because debris from Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner is concentrated near the comet. As a result, the chances of increased activity increase as the comet passes through the inner solar system, an event that last occurred in March 2025. It’s impossible to know exactly what the Draconids have in store for us in 2026, but conditions will be near perfect no matter what, with a waning crescent moon at 2% illumination giving us a wonderfully dark night where even the faintest meteors could offer a spectacular view. Shooting star photos for you? Then be sure to read our guide to meteor shower images, along with our pick of the best astrophotography cameras and lenses available in 2026. Editor’s note: If you would like to share your meteor photos with Space.com readers, please send your images, comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
