Orionid Meteor Shower 2026: When and How to See It

Science · By SpikeToday · Oct 1, 2026, 13:09 UTC · Updated Oct 8, 2026, 12:48 UTC

The Orionid meteor shower peaks on the night of October 21–22, 2026, and the best time to look is after the Moon sets, at about 3 a.m. local time on Thursday, October 22, until dawn. Under a dark sky you can expect 10 to 20 meteors an hour. They're tiny pieces of Halley's Comet burning up in the atmosphere, and you can see them from both hemispheres. This year a bright Moon, about 80% lit, is in the way until the early hours.

Orionids 2026 at a glance

• Peak: the night of Wednesday, October 21 into Thursday, October 22
• Active: October 2 to November 7, 2026
• Rate at peak: about 10 to 20 meteors an hour under dark skies
• Speed: about 66 km (41 miles) per second
• Parent comet: 1P/Halley

Dates and figures from NASA's Orionids page.

The best time to look this year

The Moon reaches first quarter on October 18, so on the peak night it is about 80% lit and bright enough to wash out fainter meteors. The good news is that it sets in the early hours, leaving a dark window between moonset and the start of dawn twilight. Times below are local, calculated for the night of October 21–22.

"Dark sky ends" is the start of astronomical twilight. Times are our own calculations, and your own location will differ by a few minutes. In the Southern Hemisphere the window is short, so you may want a different night.

If you can choose another night, meteors keep coming for several nights around the peak, and the Moon sets earlier the nights before it. In New York it sets at about 2:03 a.m. on October 21 (a 3.6-hour window) and at 12:59 a.m. on October 20 (4.7 hours), against 4:16 a.m. on October 23, which leaves only 1.5 hours. You'll see fewer meteors than at the peak, but under a darker sky.

How to watch

1. Get away from lights. A park, a field or a dark garden beats a lit street.
2. Lie back and look up. NASA suggests lying flat with your feet to the southeast in the Northern Hemisphere, or to the northeast in the Southern Hemisphere, and taking in as much sky as you can.
3. Give your eyes time. It takes up to 30 minutes in the dark for your eyes to adapt. Keep your phone screen off.
4. Don't stare at Orion. The meteors seem to come from near the bright star Betelgeuse, but they cross the whole sky. NASA suggests looking 45 to 90 degrees away from Orion, where the trails look longer.

You don't need a telescope or binoculars. Orionids are fast and often bright. NASA says some leave glowing "trains" that hang in the sky for several seconds or longer, and a few become fireballs.

Why the Orionids come from Halley's Comet

Each time Halley's Comet passes the Sun, it sheds dust and bits of rock along its orbit. Earth crosses that trail twice a year. In October the debris makes the Orionids, and in May the Eta Aquarids.

The comet itself takes about 76 years to go around the Sun. Casual skywatchers last saw it in 1986, and it won't be back in the inner solar system until 2061, NASA says. For now, the Orionids are the closest most of us get to it.

Quick answers

When is the Orionid meteor shower in 2026?

It's active from October 2 to November 7, and peaks on the night of October 21–22.

Can I see the Orionids from the Southern Hemisphere?

Yes. They're visible from both hemispheres in the hours after midnight.

Will the Moon ruin it?

Partly. The Moon is about 80% lit on the peak night, but it sets at about 3 a.m. in New York and London, leaving two to three dark hours before dawn. In the Southern Hemisphere the window is shorter, about one hour.

What time is the best time to watch the Orionids?

From moonset, at about 2:30 to 3:30 a.m. local time on October 22 in most places, until dawn twilight begins. Orion is high in the sky then.