Orionids reach their peak on Thursday night
Moonlight and light pollution may reduce the meteor shower’s visibility.
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The Orionids reach their annual maximum on the night from Wednesday into Thursday. The meteors are fragments of Halley’s Comet that light up in Earth’s atmosphere.
This year, the Orionids peak on the night of 21–22 October. According to NASA, the shower occurs because Earth passes through dust particles left behind by Halley’s Comet during earlier passages.
The meteors appear to come from the constellation Orion, but can show up across a large part of the sky. It is therefore better for observers not to look only towards Orion itself, but to choose a broad area of sky.
The best conditions are outside urban areas, where there is less artificial light. Most activity is generally expected in the hours after midnight. The precise number of visible meteors depends on cloud cover, light pollution and the brightness of the Moon.
This year, a relatively bright waxing Moon will be in the sky during the evening and part of the night. As a result, the fainter meteors in particular will be harder to see. The often-quoted numbers for a meteor shower are theoretical maximums under ideal conditions, not a prediction for every observer in the Netherlands.
No equipment is needed for viewing. A reclining chair, warm clothing and a few minutes to allow your eyes to adjust to the darkness are more useful than a telescope. Those taking photographs may capture more meteors than the eye sees directly, but a photograph is not a measurement of the actual number of visible meteors.
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The astronomical explanation and peak period are consistent across NASA and independent stargazing sources. The text presents numbers and visibility cautiously as dependent on conditions.
- confirmed The Orionids peak on the night of 21–22 October 2026. — NASA and Space.com name this as the peak night. source
- confirmed The Orionids consist of dust particles from Halley’s Comet. — NASA describes the origin of the meteoroids. source
- confirmed Moonlight and light pollution reduce visibility. — Space.com and Timeanddate discuss viewing conditions for 2026. source
Editor's note
The peak date and astronomical background have been confirmed by NASA and two astronomical publications. Visibility remains dependent on the weather, moonlight and local light pollution.Sources
- What's Up: October 2026 Skywatching Tips — NASA Science
- The Orionid meteor shower peaks next week — Space.com
- Orionids Meteor Shower 2026 — Timeanddate.com