Meteor shower 2027
Draconid meteor shower 2027
Updated
Next Draconid peak: night of Oct 8–9, 2027 (ZHR 10) Active Oct 6 – Oct 10; Moon 67% lit at peak (bright Moon, fewer faint meteors).
When the Draconids peak in 2027, how many meteors to expect, how bright the Moon will be, and where to look, computed from the International Meteor Organization's shower parameters.
- Peak
- Oct 9, 2027 2027-10-09 07:26 UTC, solar longitude 195.4°
- ZHR at peak
- 10 meteors per hour, ideal sky, radiant overhead
- Moon at peak
- 67% lit Waxing gibbous, bright Moon, fewer faint meteors
- Radiant
- RA 17h 28m, Dec +54° DRA
- Speed
- 20 km/s slow
- Best from
- Northern Hemisphere
- Parent body
- comet 21P/Giacobini–Zinner
When the Draconids peak in 2027
In 2027 the Draconids peak at 2027-10-09 07:26 UTC, when the Sun reaches solar longitude 195.4° (J2000). That makes the night of Oct 8–9 the one to watch; the activity window opens October 6, 349 days from now.
The Moon will be 67% illuminated (waxing gibbous) at the peak: bright Moon, fewer faint meteors. In 2028 the peak falls on Oct 8, 2028 with the Moon 79% lit.
From 45° N the radiant stands 37° high at 10 pm and 9° at 4 am local time, so the evening is as good as or better than pre-dawn. With the radiant at 37°, a ZHR of 10 means roughly 6 meteors per hour under a perfectly dark sky; light pollution and moonlight cut that a lot. The radiant never rises south of about 36° S.
How high the radiant gets
Radiant altitude on the peak night at 10 pm and 4 am local time. The higher the radiant, the more meteors you see.
| Latitude | 10 pm | 4 am |
|---|---|---|
| 50° N (London, Calgary) | 41° | 14° |
| 35° N (Los Angeles, Tokyo) | 30° | below horizon |
| Equator | 3° | below horizon |
| 35° S (Sydney, Buenos Aires) | below horizon | below horizon |
How to watch the Draconids
Get away from street lights, let your eyes adapt for 20–30 minutes, and look about 40–60° away from the radiant rather than straight at it; meteors appear all over the sky and their trails point back to the radiant (RA 17h 28m, Dec +54°). No telescope or binoculars needed.
Draconid meteors enter the atmosphere at 20 km/s, slowly, so they look like lazy streaks and include a higher share of bright fireballs. Usually weak, the Draconids are famous for rare storms (1933, 1946) and outbursts (2011, 2018). Unlike most showers, the radiant is highest in the evening, so look after dusk rather than before dawn.
Draconids peak dates
| Year | Peak (UTC) | Best night | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 2027-10-09 07:26 UTC | Oct 8–9 | 67% lit |
| 2028 | 2028-10-08 13:34 UTC | Oct 8–9 | 79% lit |
| 2029 | 2029-10-08 19:43 UTC | Oct 8–9 | 2% lit |
Peak times come from the mean solar longitude of maximum; real peaks can shift by several hours, and unexpected outbursts happen.
Next meteor showers
More sky pages
Data: International Meteor Organization (working list), GodsView computed Moon and radiant positions.