Ireland · 52° N
The next meteor shower over Cork is the Draconids.
Peak night is October 8, 2026.
Don't miss the next peak over Cork.
Free — one push the evening a shower peaks, and only when the sky is clear.
The peak night in Cork
Draconids, night of October 8 – 9. Every number below is computed for Cork’s exact coordinates and clock — not copied from a generic almanac.
Computed 2026-08-21 · times shown for Europe/Dublin
Sources: International Meteor Organization · IAU Meteor Data Center · astronomy-engine v2.1.19
How many meteors you’ll actually count
ZHR 10 is the laboratory number. From Cork, with the radiant topping out at 64° and the moon at 4%, here is the honest hourly range by where you stand:
The radiant over Cork, hour by hour
How high the Draconids radiant climbs through the peak night. The higher it gets, the more of the shower clears the horizon — plan your session around the gold marker.
Tonight over Cork
A live check for the coming night: what’s falling, when it’s worth being outside, and whether the weather will let you see any of it.
Computing tonight’s sky…
This year's meteor showers from Cork
Ranked by how good each one will actually look from Cork this year — radiant altitude, moon, and rate all factored in.
- DraconidsAn evening shower with rare stormsOctober 8, 2026PeakFairVisibility
- OrionidsBright autumn meteors from HalleyOctober 21, 2026PeakPoorVisibility
- TauridsThe Halloween fireballsNovember 5, 2026PeakPoorVisibility
- LeonidsThe fastest meteors of allNovember 17, 2026PeakPoorVisibility
- GeminidsThe best shower of the yearDecember 14, 2026PeakExcellentVisibility
- UrsidsA quiet solstice showerDecember 22, 2026PeakPoorVisibility
- QuadrantidsA brief, sharp new-year peakJanuary 3, 2027PeakExcellentVisibility
- LyridsThe oldest recorded showerApril 22, 2027PeakPoorVisibility
- Eta AquariidsFast dawn meteors from Halley's CometMay 6, 2027PeakNot visibleVisibility
- Southern Delta AquariidsA steady stream through late JulyJuly 30, 2027PeakPoorVisibility
- PerseidsThe Northern Hemisphere's favouriteAugust 12, 2027PeakFairVisibility
Why the view from Cork is different
Cork sits at 52°N. Showers with a far-northern radiant climb high overhead here, while some southern-sky showers barely clear the horizon or don't rise at all.
Meteor showers in Cork, month by month
The whole year from Cork’s latitude at a glance — each month’s headline shower, its peak night, and how the moon treats it. Quiet months are shown honestly: part of the sky’s calendar is simply empty, and knowing that saves you cold nights.
| Month | Headline shower | Peak night | Moon at peak | From Cork |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Quadrantids | January 3, 2027 | 14% | Excellent |
| February | Quiet — sporadic meteors only | |||
| March | Quiet — sporadic meteors only | |||
| April | Lyrids | April 22, 2027 | 96% | Poor |
| May | Eta Aquariids | May 6, 2027 | 0% | Not visible |
| June | Quiet — sporadic meteors only | |||
| July | Southern Delta Aquariids | July 30, 2027 | 13% | Poor |
| August | Perseids | August 12, 2027 | 84% | Fair |
| September | Quiet — sporadic meteors only | |||
| October | Orionids | October 21, 2026 | 75% | Poor |
| November | Leonids | November 17, 2026 | 51% | Poor |
| December | Geminids | December 14, 2026 | 22% | Excellent |
Two patterns in the table are worth a second look. First, the moon column reshuffles the year every year: a shower that fought a full moon last season may get a black sky this one. That is why the ratings above are computed fresh for Cork and this year’s geometry — not copied from a fixed almanac that ages badly.
Second, latitude is destiny. From 52°N, some radiants simply ride higher than others ever can, and a modest shower with a well-placed radiant will quietly outperform a famous one that never clears Cork’s rooftops. When the table disagrees with a headline, trust the table — it knows where you live.
Where to watch near Cork
For the Draconids, the radiant climbs the west-northwest sky over Cork and tops out at 64°, so pick a spot where that direction is open to the horizon. Then look slightly away from it — trails appear longest 40–60° to either side of the radiant. Give your eyes twenty minutes to adapt, keep the phone dim, and dress a season warmer than the forecast suggests: meteor watching is sitting still outdoors at night.
Photographing meteors over Cork
Point the camera 40–60° away from the radiant — west-northwest of Cork on the peak night — so the trails cross your frame at their longest. Keep some foreground in shot: a treeline or a skyline anchors the picture. Moonlight is the main spoiler; with the moon at 4% on the Draconids peak, the sky is yours — expose freely.
Where to go from Cork
From Cork the sky keeps improving for about 18 km — that is where the glow around you falls to a twentieth of what it is over the city centre. Thirty kilometres out already puts you at roughly 2% of the city-centre glow, so an evening drive genuinely changes what you can see.
Direction matters as much as distance. At the same range the sky south of the city sits at about <1% of the centre, while north is still 2% — the same drive, several times the difference.
Where people actually go
Places near here that people genuinely use for meteor watching — dark-sky parks, observatories with public evenings, campgrounds where staying out all night is allowed. Each one was checked against what its manager publishes, because a park being dark and a park being open at 2 a.m. are two different facts.
- Ballinskelligs124 km west · sky glow <1% of the city centre
A main village of the Kerry International Dark-Sky Reserve, the only gold-tier reserve in the northern hemisphere, with public roads, beach and a viewing facility about 125 km west of Cork.
- Sheep's Head103 km west-southwest · sky glow <1% of the city centre
A long, thinly populated West Cork peninsula near Durrus picked out as one of Ireland's better dark-sky spots and much the closest of them to Cork city at about 80 km.
Measured from: VIIRS VNL 2025 (Earth Observation Group)
Reading the numbers — More on this in the guide
Common questions about Cork
When is the next meteor shower in Cork?+
The Draconids, peaking on the night of October 8, 2026 local time.
What's the best meteor shower to watch from Cork this year?+
The Quadrantids — its radiant climbs highest above Cork's horizon this year with the least moonlight in the way, so it's the best bet for peak rates.
How many meteors will I actually see from Cork?+
During the Draconids peak, expect roughly 2–4 meteors an hour from Cork’s suburbs, 1–2 from the bright city core, and 4–10 under a properly dark sky within driving distance. The gap is light pollution, not the shower.
Where in the sky should I look from Cork?+
Face roughly west-northwest. The Draconids radiant stands highest over Cork around 20:47, reaching 64° — but don’t stare straight at it: the longest trails appear 40–60° to either side.
Will the moon spoil the Draconids from Cork?+
On the peak night the moon is 4% lit (waning crescent). Dark enough that moonlight won’t be the limiting factor — sky quality and clouds will decide your night.
Is anything visible from Cork tonight, before the peak?+
Usually yes. Showers run for days to weeks around their maximum, and the sporadic background adds a few meteors an hour on any dark night. The “Tonight” panel above computes the coming night for Cork specifically — what’s falling, the best window, and whether the clouds will allow any of it.
How many meteor showers can you see from Cork?+
Of the eleven major annual showers, 10 are visible from Cork's latitude this year, though cloud cover and moonlight decide how many meteors you'll actually count on any given night.
Do I need to leave Cork to see a meteor shower?+
You don't need to, but it helps a lot. City light pollution washes out all but the brightest meteors — driving even 30–45 minutes to a darker sky can turn a handful of sightings into dozens.
Meteor showers in nearby cities
Get alerts for Cork
We'll tell you the evening a shower is worth watching from Cork — and only when the sky is actually clear.