Bits of Halley’s Comet light up the sky Oct. 21–22: how to watch
NASA says the Orionids peak overnight Oct. 21–22; look in the hours before dawn, after the bright moon sets.
Updated
The Orionid meteor shower peaks on the night of Oct. 21 into the morning of Oct. 22, 2026, according to NASA. The meteors are tiny pieces of debris left behind by Halley’s Comet, and while they appear to come from the direction of the constellation Orion, they can streak across any part of the sky.
This year a bright waxing gibbous moon will wash out some of the fainter meteors, so NASA suggests looking in the few hours before dawn, after the moon has set, from somewhere dark. Under dark skies the shower typically delivers about 10 to 20 meteors an hour, and Orionids are fast, hitting the atmosphere at about 41 miles (66 kilometers) per second.
The shower is active from Oct. 2 to Nov. 7, so a clear night away from the peak can still pay off. Halley’s Comet itself was last seen by casual observers in 1986 and won’t return to the inner solar system until 2061; for now, its dust is the show.
Sources
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Bits of Halley’s Comet light up the sky Oct. 21–22: how to watch
NASA says the Orionids peak overnight Oct. 21–22; look in the hours before dawn, after the bright moon sets.
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