Draconids peak this week under near-dark skies, with Orionids to follow later in October

The Draconid meteor shower is active right now — running October 6 to 10, 2026 — and reaches its peak on the evening of October 8 into the early hours of October 9, under some of the best lunar conditions of the year: a Moon just 8% illuminated means near-total darkness for watching.

Unlike almost every other meteor shower, the Draconids are best seen in the evening rather than before dawn. That quirk comes from the position of their radiant point — the patch of sky in the constellation Draco from which the meteors appear to originate — which sits highest in the northern sky shortly after nightfall. Observers in the Northern Hemisphere should face northwest toward Draco, near the stars Eltanin and Rastaban, as soon as it gets dark.

The shower is caused by debris shed by Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, which orbits the Sun every 6.6 years. Earth plows through the comet's dust trail at a relatively slow 20 km/s — slow enough that Draconid meteors linger visibly longer than most, making them easier to distinguish. Under typical conditions, expect around 5 meteors per hour, according to StarWalk Space. The International Meteor Organisation notes the Draconids can produce unexpected outbursts, though no outburst is predicted for 2026.

In most years, the Draconids produce no more than ten meteors per hour under dark skies, but there have been times when they entertained stargazers with several hundred meteors in a single hour.— StarWalk Space

The shower's history of surprise is part of its appeal. It produced roughly 300 meteors per hour in 2011 and around 150 per hour for four hours in 2018, according to StarWalk Space. A model published in 2011 predicts a possible strong outburst in 2062, but earlier surprises cannot be ruled out.

The Draconids are primarily a Northern Hemisphere event. Observers in North America, Europe, and Asia have the best view. Southern Hemisphere skywatchers will need to wait for the Orionids later in the month, when the radiant near Orion rises higher overhead at southern latitudes.

A minor shower, the October Camelopardalids, also peaked on October 6. Its parent body is unknown — no known comet has been identified as the source, according to StarWalk Space. It produces only a few meteors per hour, but its radiant is circumpolar for observers north of about 11°N, meaning it stays above the horizon all night for most of the Northern Hemisphere.

The second major event of the month arrives on October 21–22: the Orionids, already underway since October 2 and running through November 7. Where the Draconids are slow and unpredictable, the Orionids are fast — debris from Halley's Comet strikes Earth's atmosphere at 66 km/s, about 148,000 mph, producing bright meteors and ionized gas trails that can persist for several seconds. Expected rates are 10 to 20 meteors per hour under dark skies.

Conditions for the Orionids are less ideal than for the Draconids. A waxing gibbous Moon will brighten the sky through much of the night. The best window is after the Moon sets around 3 a.m. local time, when the radiant near Orion is climbing in the east. StarWalk Space notes the Orionids don't always produce a single sharp peak — activity can stay elevated for several nights around October 21–22, so the surrounding nights are worth watching too.

For either shower, the preparation is the same: get away from city lights, give your eyes 15 to 20 minutes to adjust to the dark, avoid phone screens, and dress warmly — October nights cool quickly. No telescope or binoculars are needed; a wide field of view is the only optical requirement.

Why it matters — Two of October's best meteor showers arrive back to back, and the first peaks this week under unusually dark skies — a combination that won't repeat every year.

Reported by jagranjosh.com, skiesandscopes.com, rmg.co.uk, starwalk.space, cosmobc.com