Look Up: Draconid Meteor Shower Peaks Wednesday Evening

The night sky is about to put on a show, and you won’t need to stay up until the early hours to see it. The annual Draconid meteor shower is set to peak on Wednesday night, October 8, offering a rare early evening opportunity to catch shooting stars as they streak across the autumn sky.

A Meteor Shower That Defies the Usual Rules

The Draconids are the first of two meteor showers this October, and while they are considered a minor shower, they are unlike most others on the calendar. Typically, meteor showers require night owls to wait until after midnight for the best views. The Draconids flip that script.

“The Draconid shower is a real oddity in that the radiant point stands highest in the sky as darkness falls,” EarthSky explains. Because of this, the best viewing time is shortly after sunset, making the event ideal for families and casual stargazers who prefer not to set alarms for the middle of the night.

The shower is the result of Earth passing through a trail of debris left behind by Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. As tiny fragments hit Earth’s atmosphere, they burn up, creating bright flashes that can appear anywhere in the sky.