Draconid meteor shower 2021: Spectacular images show dazzling meteor shooting through the night sky

Stargazers in some parts of the UK were treated to a spectacular light display as Earth passed through debris left behind by a comet on Sunday evening.

A fisherman watches a meteor during the Draconid meteor shower over Howick rocks in Northumberland.

The weather threatened to put a dampener on the annual Draconid meteor shower, but the clouds parted for some, offering a glimpse of the spectacular display.

One particularly dazzling meteor shot through the sky over Howick rocks in Northumberland as a fisherman looked on.

Named after the constellation of Draco the dragon, the Draconids occur every year and are one of the two meteor showers to light up the skies in October.

Stargazers in some parts of the UK were treated to a display of meteors on Sunday.

What is the Draconid meteor shower?

Also known as the Giacobinids, it is an annual meteor shower that occurs every October.

Unlike most meteor showers, the Draconid can be seen at much more sociable times.

You normally have to get up at around 3am to see a meteor shower, but the Draconid can be seen best in the evening.

Meteor showers are caused when Earth passes through a cloud of space debris from a comet.

The Draconid meteor shower is made from the debris of comet 21 P/ Giacobini-Zinner.

The shower’s radiant point is the head of the constellation Draco the Dragon, giving the shower its name.

However, the shower throws hundreds of meteors across the sky every hour, so you don’t need to find the star itself in order to see it.

Back in 2011, more than 600 meteors were seen per hour over Europe.

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