Orionid Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight — Up to 20 Shooting Stars Per Hour
The annual Orionid meteor shower, fuelled by debris from Halley's Comet, reached its predicted peak at 18:00 UTC on 21 October, offering up to 20 fast meteors per hour in dark-sky locations worldwide.
The Orionid meteor shower hit its predicted maximum on 21 October 2026 at 18:00 UTC, according to the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada's Observer's Handbook. Active from late September through November, the Orionids are caused by Earth passing through a trail of dust and ice particles shed by Halley's Comet. The meteors are exceptionally fast, entering the atmosphere at roughly 41 miles per second (66 km/s), and about half leave glowing persistent trails lasting several seconds. Under ideal dark-sky conditions observers can expect 10–20 meteors per hour, though rare exceptional years have produced rates comparable to the Perseids at 50–75 per hour. Viewing in 2026 is somewhat hampered by a waxing gibbous Moon that is about 80% lit; the Moon sets around 3 a.m. local time, however, leaving a dark window between moonset and dawn that is ideal for watching. The radiant point lies in the constellation Orion, but meteors can appear anywhere across the sky. The shower is visible from both hemispheres, with the best views from locations with clear, dark skies away from city lights.
