Orionid Meteor Shower 2026: When to Watch With a Waxing Moon

The Orionid meteor shower peaks on the night of October 21 into the morning of October 22, 2026, and the best viewing is in the hours before dawn after the Moon sets. As of October 2026, NASA lists the shower as active from October 2 to November 7 and says to expect about 10 to 20 meteors per hour under dark skies. This year a bright waxing gibbous Moon will wash out some of the fainter ones.

1. What the Orionids are

NASA says Orionid meteors appear when Earth travels through debris left behind by Halley's Comet. The comet takes about 76 years to orbit the Sun, and NASA states it will not return to the inner solar system until 2061. The same debris stream also produces the Eta Aquarids in May.

The meteors are fast, at about 41 miles (66 kilometers) per second as they hit the atmosphere. NASA says fast meteors can leave glowing trains that last seconds to minutes and sometimes become fireballs. The Orionids are considered one of the most beautiful showers of the year.

2. What the Moon does in 2026

The US Naval Observatory lists these Moon phases (times in UTC):

The peak night falls between first quarter and full. For New York City, the Observatory's one-day tables give an illumination of 78% on October 21 and 86% on October 22. On October 22 the Moon sets at 03:13 local daylight time, and civil twilight begins at 06:47. That leaves about three and a half hours between moonset and the start of civil twilight, from 3:13 to 6:47 a.m. (06:47 minus 03:13 is 3 hours 34 minutes), and the sky begins to brighten somewhat before the end of that window. The shower keeps going until dawn, so those hours are the best bet, as NASA's October note also says: look in the few hours before dawn, after the Moon sets.

Moonset time changes with where you live, so look up your own location rather than copying these numbers. The Observatory's data service takes a latitude and longitude and returns rise and set times for any date.

3. How to watch

NASA's viewing tips for the Orionids:

• Go somewhere well away from the city or street lights.
• Bring a blanket, sleeping bag, or lawn chair.
• Lie flat on your back with your feet facing southeast if you are in the Northern Hemisphere, or northeast in the Southern Hemisphere, and take in as much sky as you can.
• The shower is visible after midnight in both hemispheres.
• Expect your eyes to adapt in less than 30 minutes in the dark, then meteors will begin to appear. Be patient.

4. Where to look

The radiant, the point the meteors appear to come from, is just north of Betelgeuse in Orion. You do not need to stare at Orion. NASA says it is better to look 45 to 90 degrees away from the radiant, because meteors appear longer and more spectacular there. If you look straight at the radiant, the meteors look short, an effect of perspective called foreshortening.

If you are not sure how to measure 45 to 90 degrees across the sky, a closed fist at arm's length covers roughly 10 degrees, so about five to nine fists away from Orion works as a rough guide. This hand-size rule is a common rule of thumb rather than a number from NASA's page.

5. Setting expectations

The 10 to 20 per hour figure is for dark skies. With a Moon at 78 to 86% illumination in the sky for the first half of the night, count on fewer. Moonlit skies and light pollution both reduce the count, so the post-moonset window is where this shower is best seen.

6. Planning checklist

1. Check the weather and cloud forecast for the night of October 21.
2. Look up your local moonset for October 22 and plan to be outside after it.
3. Pick a dark site away from lights, and dress for the cold.
4. Lie back facing southeast, and let your eyes adjust for 30 minutes.
5. Scan widely instead of staring at one spot.

7. Key takeaways

• NASA lists the Orionid peak night as October 21-22, 2026, with the shower active October 2 to November 7.
• Expect roughly 10 to 20 meteors per hour under dark skies.
• A 78 to 86% waxing Moon interferes until it sets, about 3:13 a.m. in New York on October 22.
• Face southeast and look 45 to 90 degrees away from Orion.
• The meteors are fast and sometimes leave lingering trains.