Meteor Storm or Moonlit Fizzle? Draconid ‘Dragon’ Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight with Skywatchers on Alert
The Draconids: A “Dragon” in the Night Sky Every October, the Draconid meteor shower gives skywatchers a chance – however slim – to see fireballs from the Dragon. The Draconids occur when Earth passes through dust debris shed by Comet 21P/Giacobini–Zinner, a small periodic comet that orbits the sun every 6.6 years ts2.tech. As these cometary bits hit Earth’s atmosphere at a relatively languid pace, they burn up and streak across the sky as meteors (often called “shooting stars”) ts2.tech. The Draconids take their name from the constellation Draco, from which the meteors appear to radiate. Because Draco is a northern constellation (its “head” near