When is the Orionid meteor shower, and how do you see Halley's Comet dust?

The Orionid meteor shower peaks every year around 21 October, and it is active from about 2 October to 7 November (International Meteor Organization). In a normal year you see 10 to 20 meteors an hour at the peak from a dark site, best in the hours before dawn. The meteors are dust from Halley’s Comet.

If you found this page after 22 October 2026: you missed this year’s maximum, but the shower is still active at low rates until about 7 November. The next real chance is October 2027.

Orionids at a glance

	Value
Active	about 2 October to 7 November (IMO 2026 calendar)
Maximum	around 21 October (solar longitude 208°); broad, often several similar nights
ZHR	20+ (ideal sky); 10 to 20 seen per hour in a normal year
Speed	66 km/s, very fast; bright ones can leave glowing trains
Radiant	just north of Betelgeuse in Orion
Parent	Comet 1P/Halley
Best time	from local midnight to dawn, either hemisphere

What happened in 2026

The IMO and NASA listed the 2026 peak night as 21 to 22 October. A waxing gibbous Moon, 74 to 80% lit, sat in the sky for much of the night, so the dark window was the few hours between moonset and dawn. The IMO notes that recent Orionid displays have been low to average, so 2026 was a modest year rather than a lost one.

What to expect in 2027

The maximum is expected around 21 October 2027, since it follows Earth’s position in its orbit, not the calendar. The Moon is less kind: last quarter falls on 22 October 2027 (timeanddate.com). A last-quarter Moon rises around midnight and is high before dawn, exactly when the radiant is best placed. Plan on the nights a few days before the peak too, and check the IMO calendar once the 2027 edition is out. These are forecasts.

How to find the radiant

Orion rises in the east around 10 p.m. to midnight in late October. Find the three belt stars, then look up and left (from the Northern Hemisphere) to orange Betelgeuse. The radiant sits just north of it, near the border with Gemini. By about 5 a.m. Orion is high in the south.

You don’t need to stare at that point. Meteors appear all over the sky, and NASA says the ones 45 to 90 degrees from the radiant show the longest trails. Lie back with your feet toward the southeast (northern hemisphere) or northeast (southern), and give your eyes at least 20 to 30 minutes.

I build Sky Map, so take this with that in mind: point the AR view east after midnight and it labels Orion and Betelgeuse over the camera, which tells you where the meteors seem to come from. The app’s astronomical calendar lists meteor showers, and Tonight’s Sky Conditions shows cloud cover and humidity for your location.

Tips for a better night

1. Go after midnight. The radiant is low or below the horizon in the evening, and rates climb toward dawn.
2. Get away from lights. A town sky cuts the count to a handful (city stargazing tips).
3. Keep the phone dim so you don’t lose your night vision (dark adaptation).
4. Use your eyes, not binoculars. You want as much sky as possible.

Halley’s dust also makes the Eta Aquariids in early May, so the same comet gives you two showers a year. For the next big one, read our Geminid 2026 guide, and see the year’s meteor showers and eclipses.

Sources: IMO 2026/2027 Meteor Shower Calendar and IMO calendar PDF (activity, maximum, ZHR, speed); NASA Science: Orionids (Halley, radiant, viewing direction); American Meteor Society (rates, 2026 Moon); timeanddate.com Moon phases 2027. Checked 31 October 2026. 2027 timings are forecasts.