Considered among the most beautiful annual meteor showers, the Orionids peak around mid-October. In 2026, the Orionid meteor shower will peak around the time period between October 21 and October 22, according to NASA’s website. The event will light up the night sky with fast-moving meteors. if the skies permit, a viewer may be able to spot meteors anywhere between 10 and 20 on an hourly basis. Clear skies may even let you spot even more of them. The best time to watch the shower is at midnight and before sunrise.
For an unobstructed view, you can find a wide-open area in the dark with clear skies. While the meteors can appear from anywhere, their trail will appear to originate close to the Orion constellation in the eastern sky. After the peak night, the meteor shower will remain active until November 7, 2026.
The peak shower will be visible in India in the early hours of October 22. NASA states that the meteor velocity will be 66 KMs/second in the Earth’s atmosphere. These meteors are known for their speed and brightness and can last for several seconds to minutes. They may also turn into fireballs, leading to prolonged explosions of light. Meanwhile, some Orionids are also framed by bright stars.
The space agency added that these Orionids can be viewed from the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Viewers in the Northern part can lie flat with their feet directed towards the southeast. Southern hemisphere viewers can place their feet in the northeast. For context, these meteors originate from comet particles and broken asteroids.
When these comets reach near the Sun, the emitted dust turns into a dusty trail of debris from which the Earth passes every year. These collide with the planet’s atmosphere and disintegrate to create colourful streaks of light in the skies. This debris originates from 1P/Halley’s comet, which is named after Edmond Halley.
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Orionids are better viewed at a 45 ot 90 degrees angle away from the radiant, the point where they seem to originate. From this perspective, these appear longer and more spectacular, NASA said. Looking directly at the radiant makes them look shorter due to the “foreshortening” effect.