Astrology

Orionid meteor shower from Halley's Comet peaks October 21 into 22 under a bright moon

The Orionid meteor shower, made of debris from Halley's Comet, peaks overnight on October 21 into October 22, 2026, with NASA listing typical activity at around 10 to 20 meteors per hour under dark skies, according to blog.sciencenatures.com.

The shower has been active since October 2 and continues through November 7, giving viewers several weeks to catch stray meteors before and after the peak, The Independent reports.

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A bright moon will dim the display#

A waxing gibbous moon complicates viewing this year. The Independent reports the moon will be on its way to full during the October 21 peak, which could make it harder to see dimmer meteors.

The American Meteor Society puts the moon at roughly three-quarters illuminated during the peak, EarthSky reports.

Universe Today notes the moon is waxing gibbous at the peak, just five days before the Full Hunter's Moon on October 26, and the Liverpool Echo says the Orionids are expected to peak overnight October 21 into October 22.

Debris from a comet last seen in 1986#

The meteors come from 1P/Halley, the comet officially designated that travels the inner solar system roughly every 76 years and last passed by in 1986, according to the Farmers' Almanac.

Universe Today reports Halley reached aphelion, its farthest point from the sun, more than 35 astronomical units out beyond Neptune's orbit on December 9, 2023, and has now begun its long return toward the sun ahead of a 2061 perihelion.

Tiny particles shed by the comet strike Earth's atmosphere at around 41 miles per second and burn up to create the streaks, the Liverpool Echo and the Farmers' Almanac both report, and about 1 in 30 produces a fireball, per the Farmers' Almanac.

Where and when to look#

The meteors appear to radiate from near Orion's upraised club, close to its border with Gemini, though they can show up anywhere in the sky, Universe Today and the Liverpool Echo report.

The RASC Observer's Handbook places the predicted peak at 18 UTC on October 21, 2026, though EarthSky notes the shower has a broad, plateau-like maximum lasting several nights around that date.

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