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The Draconids peak on 9 October 2026 around 01:00 UTC, but the radiant is highest in the evening, so start looking after dark on 8 October. With a new Moon on 10 October the sky is gloriously dark: lie back, look north-west and watch slow meteors drift by.
Meteor showers · Draconids 2026
Good news for night owls and early birds alike: the Draconid meteor shower 2026 peaks on 9 October around 01:00 UTC. That is 03:00 in Vienna and 04:00 in Istanbul. The shower is active roughly from 6 to 10 October.
The Draconids come from comet 21P/Giacobini–Zinner, which swung past the Sun on 29 March 2025. Most years this shower is a quiet one, about 5 to 10 meteors an hour under a dark sky. But it has surprised us before, with real meteor storms in 1933 and 1946. A storm this year is unlikely, yet the comet’s dust is still fairly close, so who knows.
Here is the fun twist: most meteor showers are best after midnight, but the Draconids are the opposite. Their radiant, the point the meteors seem to fly out from, sits near the head of Draco, right next to the stars Eltanin and Rastaban. In the evening that spot is high in the north-west sky.
From Vienna the radiant stands about 68° high at 20:00 local time, about 33° at midnight and only about 15° at 03:00. From Istanbul it is about 56° high at 21:00, 22° at 01:00 and just 6° at 04:00. So the sweet spot is the evening of 8 October, once it is properly dark, and on into the night.
Draco’s stars with the pulsing radiant next to Eltanin and Rastaban. Real Draconids are slow, so watch them drift lazily away from this spot. The drawing is schematic.
Not at all. The New Moon falls on 10 October at 15:50 UTC, so there is no moonlight in the evening. Only a thin waning crescent shows up in the morning. That makes this one of the darkest Draconid years in a long time.
You need no telescope or binoculars. Your eyes are the best tool. Get away from city lights if you can, and give your eyes 20 to 30 minutes to adjust. Put your phone away, or turn the brightness right down.
Bring a reclining chair or a blanket and lie back. Look about 45° up, towards the north-west and north in the evening. Draco never sets from Vienna or Istanbul, so it is always above the horizon.
Draconids are slow, about 20 km/s, so they glide across the sky instead of flashing by. Many are faint and a little orange. They can show up anywhere in the sky, not only near Draco. Trace the path backwards: if it points to the head of Draco, you have caught a Draconid.
Try the night after, 9 October, too. The shower is active from about 6 to 10 October, though the best chance of surprises is around the peak. Dress warmly, bring a hot drink, and enjoy the sky.
Want to know which showers are coming next? Open Astrometrik’s meteor page for the shower calendar, peak dates and sky details for your night.
The Draconids peak on 9 October 2026 around 01:00 UTC (03:00 in Vienna, 04:00 in Istanbul). They are active from roughly 6 to 10 October, and the best time to watch is the evening of 8 October.
Normally about 5 to 10 meteors an hour under a dark, moonless sky. Draconids sometimes burst into outbursts, as in 1933 and 1946, but a storm this year is unlikely.
Their radiant in Draco is highest in the evening and sinks towards the horizon after midnight. That is the opposite of most meteor showers.
Look about 45° up towards the north-west and north in the evening, but let your eyes roam over the whole sky. Meteors can appear anywhere; follow their trails back to the head of Draco.
No. The Moon is new on 10 October 2026, so the evening sky is completely moonless and ideal for faint meteors.
Comet 21P/Giacobini–Zinner, which is why the shower is also called the Giacobinids. The comet last passed the Sun on 29 March 2025.
Peak date, time and rate follow EarthSky’s Draconid guide. Radiant heights for Vienna and Istanbul and sunset times were calculated with Astronomy Engine.
Positions and times were recalculated with Astronomy Engine, the sky-calculation library Astrometrik uses; times for Vienna and Istanbul are local time. The artwork on this page was drawn by Astrometrik.