October Draconids

meteors · space · astronomy · October

Where they come from. The Draconids are meteors that fall to Earth from dust particles left behind by a comet called 21P/Giacobini-Zinner as it orbits the Sun. This comet passes through the inner solar system every 6.5 years, leaving a trail of debris in its path.

They burn up fast. Almost all of these space rocks ablate, or burn up, as they zoom through Earth's atmosphere at incredible speeds. You see them as shooting stars streaking across the sky, but they don't reach the ground.

Named after Draco. The meteors appear to come from the constellation Draco, the dragon in the night sky, which is why they're called the Draconids. This is the same area where they seem to radiate from when you're watching them.

Best time to look. The best way to see the Draconids is after sunset in October, when you're far away from city lights in a clear, dark sky. More meteors become visible as the night gets darker.

Their old nickname. People used to call them the Giacobinids because they come from the Giacobini-Zinner comet. Scientists eventually renamed them Draconids, but the old name is still used sometimes.