Draconid meteor shower visible until 10 October

The annual Draconid meteor shower is visible this year until 10 October in the northern hemisphere and will peak on the evening of 8 October.

The meteors, which are sometimes referred to as shooting stars, will appear as streaks of light in the evening sky.

Meteor showers occur when the Earth passes through the debris of a comet or an asteroid. The debris, usually bits of rock or ice, hits the Earth's atmosphere and burns up because of the friction, sending light streaks across the night sky.

The point in the sky from which the meteors appear to originate is known as the radiant and the quality of the display is measured by how many meteors are visible every hour - known as the zenithal hourly rate. That rate varies year by year.

The Draconids have not been particularly active in recent years - the best displays occurred in 1933 and 1946.

The meteors come from the debris of Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, with the radiant in the constellation of Draco - hence the name.

In 2025, the meteor shower coincides with the full Harvest Moon which rose on the night of the 7 October. With extra light in the sky, it will be less visible.

The biggest obstacle, however, to a spectacular night of meteor gazing is cloud.

For many parts of England and Wales it is good news. High pressure is building in from the south keeping the weather dry and settled and the skies largely clear. There will also be clear spells for much of the evening for eastern Scotland.

However, with a weather front across the north-west of the UK, it is likely that there will be more cloud and potentially some patchy rain throughout the night for western Scotland, Northern Ireland, north-west England and the Isle of Man.

You can check your local forecast here or on the BBC Weather app.

Weather permitting, the Draconids will be best viewed in the evening, when the constellation of Draco is high in the northern sky.

Find a dark spot away from city lights and allow your eyes around 15 minutes to adjust to the dark. Look to the north - you will not need binoculars or a telescope as the shower will be visible to the naked eye.

And if you miss it? Well, there is not long to wait until the next shower - the peak of the Orionids will grace our skies on 22 October.

And who knows? The weather may even cooperate.

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