🌠 Orionids Meteor Shower 2026
Earth's second annual crossing of Halley's Comet debris trail, producing fast, often bright meteors.
Peak night: Wednesday, October 21, 2026 · Radiant: Orion · Source: Comet 1P/Halley
Viewing Conditions for the Orionids
Peak Night
October 21, 2026
Theoretical Rate
Up to 20/hour
Moon on Peak Night
Waxing Gibbous (72% lit)
Moon Impact
Moderate interference
Where to Look
East, rising in the late evening and climbing high overhead by the pre-dawn hours — Orion is a widely recognizable constellation in both hemispheres.
Best Time
After midnight until dawn on October 21, when Orion is highest in the sky.
Active Oct 2 through Nov 7, 2026, favoring the Northern and Southern Hemispheres roughly equally. Moon on peak night: Waxing Gibbous, 72% illuminated.
Viewing Tips
- →Orionid meteors are among the fastest of any shower, entering the atmosphere at roughly 66 km/s — this can produce short, bright streaks and occasional persistent trains.
- →Because the radiant, Orion, is one of the most recognizable constellations, this is a good shower for beginners to find and track.
- →Visible from both hemispheres, unlike many showers that strongly favor one or the other.
📷 Photography Tips
- →Fast meteors benefit from a slightly shorter exposure time than a slower shower, to avoid the streak being lost against a brighter sky background.
- →Frame toward the east in the evening or overhead after midnight, using Orion's easily recognizable belt stars as a compositional anchor.
- →A basic star tracker, if you have one, helps keep longer exposures sharp given how high the radiant climbs by the pre-dawn hours.
Live sky conditions for your exact location, including cloud cover: Sky Tonight.
Gear That Helps (Optional)
Meteor showers are a naked-eye event — you don't need anything to watch the Orionids. Binoculars can help you explore the sky between meteors, or get a closer look at the shower's radiant area.
As an Amazon Associate, SpaceWeatherTracker.com earns from qualifying purchases. We only recommend gear we'd genuinely suggest — prices and availability are set by Amazon, not us.
10x50 High-Power Binoculars, IPX7 Waterproof
10x magnification, 50mm objective lenses, BAK-4 prism, IPX7 waterproof rating (rated for 1 meter submersion for 30 minutes) — a real, rated-4.4 (319 reviews) budget binocular option.
Best for: Wide-field stargazing and aurora watching in unpredictable weather.
More options: Binoculars, Astrophotography Gear.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the same comet as the Eta Aquariids?+
Yes — the Orionids are Earth's second annual crossing of Comet 1P/Halley's debris trail, occurring in October, roughly five months after the Eta Aquariids in May.
Why are Orionid meteors so fast?+
They enter Earth's atmosphere at roughly 66 kilometers per second, among the fastest of any major shower, which tends to produce short, bright streaks rather than slower, longer-lasting ones.