Draconid meteor shower to light up northern skies

071016 draconids 1
The Draco constellation and its namesake.
Dorling Kindersley / Getty Images

The Draconid meteor shower will peak this evening, treating the mid- to high-latitude northern hemisphere to the annual show.

As Earth crosses the path of Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, bits of the comet’s debris left behind crash and burn in our upper atmosphere.

The meteor shower, which gets its name from the constellation Draco the Dragon, and is also known as the Giacobinids, are best seen in the evening sky, free from artificial light.

Please login to favourite this article.