Every October the Earth ploughs through a stream of dust left behind by the best-known comet of all. The dust burns up high above us as the Orionids, and the Orionid meteor shower 2026 peaks on the night of Wednesday 21 to Thursday 22 October.
This practical UK viewing guide uses moon times, radiant heights and dawn times calculated for London, Manchester and Edinburgh. The good news for 2026 is a clean, moon-free window in the small hours of peak night, right when the shower is at its best.
The Short Answer
Orionids 2026 at a glance
Peak night: Wednesday 21 to Thursday 22 October 2026.
Active: 2 October to 7 November.
Best time from the UK: about 03:00 to 05:30 BST on Thursday 22 October, after the Moon sets.
Where to look: south-east to south, about halfway up, a little to one side of Orion.
Rates: a zenithal hourly rate of around 20, so 10 to 20 meteors an hour under a genuinely dark sky.
Parent comet: 1P/Halley.
If you only go out once, make it the early hours of Thursday 22 October. The nights either side give similar numbers if the forecast lets you down.
Halley's Comet Meteor Shower
The Orionids are debris from Comet Halley. Each time Halley swings past the Sun, its nucleus sheds ice and rocky dust, which spreads out along the comet's path. The Earth crosses that stream twice a year: in May, when it produces the Eta Aquariids, and in October, when it produces the Orionids.
Halley itself takes about 76 years to go round the Sun. It was last seen by casual observers in 1986 and returns to the inner solar system in 2061. Every Orionid you see is a grain of that comet, most of them no bigger than a grain of sand, released on passes many centuries ago.
The shower is named after Orion because that is where the meteors appear to come from. For why Orion is an official constellation with fixed borders, see our guide to IAU constellations and how they differ from zodiac signs.
When Is the Orionid Meteor Shower?
NASA lists the Orionids as active from 2 October to 7 November 2026, with the peak on the night of 21 to 22 October. The Earth reaches the densest part of the stream around 21 October every year.
The Orionid maximum is broad. Rates climb through mid-October, hold at a similar level for a few nights around the peak, then fall away towards November. In Britain that means one cloudy Wednesday need not cost you the shower. Treat 19 to 22 October as your window and take whichever night is clear.
For the rest of the year's showers, eclipses and planet highlights, see the 2026 astronomical events calendar.
The Moon on Peak Night
The Moon is the biggest factor for any meteor shower, so we calculated it. First quarter falls on Sunday 18 October 2026 at 17:12 BST, and the Moon is full on Monday 26 October at 04:11 GMT. That full Moon is October's Hunter's Moon.
On peak night the Moon is a waxing gibbous, about 80 per cent lit. It rises in the afternoon, at around 16:00 BST in London, so it is already up when darkness falls, sitting in the south through the evening. It then sinks into the west-south-west and sets at about 02:54 BST in London and about 03:00 BST in Manchester and Edinburgh.
That is the key to 2026. The gibbous Moon brightens the evening sky, but by 03:00 it is gone. From then until dawn twilight, the sky is fully dark, exactly when the Orionid radiant climbs highest.
The Moon sets at three. Orion is high by four. That is your window.
Before the peak the Moon is slimmer and sets earlier. On the night of 20 to 21 October it is about 72 per cent lit and sets at around 01:40 BST in London. On 19 to 20 October it is about 62 per cent lit and gone by roughly 00:25. After the peak it stays up later each night, so the dark window shrinks fast.
Best Time to See the Orionids
The best time to see the Orionids from the UK on peak night is from moonset until dawn twilight begins. Here are the numbers for the morning of Thursday 22 October 2026, all in British Summer Time.
| City | Radiant rises | Moon sets | Dark sky ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | 21:52 (21 Oct) | 02:54 | 05:44 |
| Manchester | 21:53 (21 Oct) | 03:00 | 05:51 |
| Edinburgh | 21:48 (21 Oct) | 03:00 | 05:53 |
"Dark sky ends" is the start of astronomical twilight, when the Sun reaches 18 degrees below the horizon and the sky begins to brighten. That gives roughly two and three quarter hours of moon-free, fully dark sky. At 04:00 BST the radiant is about 51 degrees up in London, 49 in Manchester and 46 in Edinburgh, and by 05:00 it is higher still and almost due south.
Why the small hours? Before midnight the radiant is low, so meteors are scarce. After midnight your side of the Earth also faces forwards along our orbit, meeting the stream head-on. Our explainer on when it gets dark in the UK and how twilight works covers twilight in more detail.
The clocks go back on Sunday 25 October, after the peak, so every time in this guide is BST. For the tail of the shower after that, take an hour off the clock times. The guide to the clocks going back in 2026 has the details.
Where to Look
The Orionid radiant, the point the meteors appear to fly out from, sits in the north of Orion near the border with Gemini. It is about ten degrees from Betelgeuse, the orange star at Orion's shoulder, close to the stars of Orion's raised club. Ten degrees is roughly the width of your fist held at arm's length.
You do not need to stare at it. Orionids can appear anywhere in the sky; they simply trace back to that point. Meteors close to the radiant look short and stubby because they are coming almost straight at you. The long, graceful ones appear 45 to 90 degrees away from it. Face south-east to south, lie back, and let your gaze rest about halfway up the sky, a little to one side of Orion.
To find Orion before the night, open the free Night Sky Explorer, set your town, choose 22 October 2026 at 04:00 and you will see exactly where Orion, Betelgeuse and Gemini sit above your horizon. Scrub the time back to watch Orion climb out of the east from about 22:00.
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How to Watch From the UK
Find the darkest sky you can
A meteor shower is a naked-eye event. No telescope, no binoculars. Darkness makes the biggest difference: a garden with the house lights off works well, and a rural spot away from streetlights works better still. Our round-up of stargazing spots in the UK has ideas if you fancy a trip.
Give your eyes time
Allow 20 to 30 minutes for your eyes to adapt. Keep your phone screen off or dimmed right down, because one glance at a bright screen resets the clock.
Get comfortable and warm
A reclining chair or a camping mat lets you take in a wide stretch of sky. At 04:00 in late October it will be cold, so bring extra layers, a hat and a hot drink.
Watch the forecast, not the calendar
British weather decides more than any date does. Check the cloud forecast from 19 October and pick the clearest night. A clear 20 October with an early moonset can easily beat a hazy peak night.
Stay out for at least an hour
Meteors arrive in clumps and gaps. An hour gives the numbers a fair chance to even out.
What to Expect
Under a genuinely dark rural sky you might count 10 to 20 Orionids an hour at best, which is the practical meaning of that zenithal hourly rate of around 20. From a town or suburb, expect fewer, because light pollution hides the fainter ones. The brightest ones are what make it worth the early start.
Orionids are fast. They hit the upper atmosphere at about 66 kilometres per second, roughly 238,000 km/h, which makes them among the swiftest meteors of the year. Fast meteors often leave a persistent train, a glowing trail that can linger for seconds, and now and then one flares into a fireball.
The setting helps too. Orion, Gemini and Sirius are all up before dawn, with Jupiter shining brightly in the east in Leo. For everything else on view, what you can see in the UK night sky with no equipment is a useful companion, and if the Perseids in August were your first shower, our Perseid meteor shower 2026 guide makes a good comparison.
Keeping the Night
A night under the Orionids tends to stay with people, especially when it is shared: a first proper stargazing session with a child, or a cold hour on a hillside with someone you love. If the night means something, a personalised star map from Skylit Studio can show the stars above your chosen place at that exact date and time, with Orion drawn where it really stood.
If the Moon was part of the memory, a personalised moon phase print shows the waxing gibbous exactly as it was on the night. What makes either one yours is the moment you chose and the words you add. Our explainer on how the real night sky becomes a print shows how the positions are calculated.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Orionid meteor shower 2026 in the UK?
The Orionids are active from 2 October to 7 November 2026 and peak on the night of Wednesday 21 to Thursday 22 October. The maximum is broad, so the nights from 19 to 22 October all give reasonable numbers.
What is the best time to see the Orionids in 2026?
From about 03:00 BST, when the Moon sets, until around 05:45 BST, when dawn twilight begins, on the morning of Thursday 22 October. The radiant is then high in the south-east to south and the sky is fully dark.
Will the Moon affect the Orionids this year?
In the evening, yes. On peak night the Moon is a waxing gibbous about 80 per cent lit, so it brightens the sky until it sets at around 03:00 BST. After that the rest of the night is moon-free, which is when the shower is strongest anyway.
Which direction should I look for the Orionids?
Face south-east to south in the early hours and look about halfway up. The radiant sits about a fist's width from Betelgeuse in Orion, but the longest meteors appear 45 to 90 degrees away from it, so take in a wide area of sky.
Are the Orionids really from Halley's Comet?
Yes. The Orionids are dust shed by Comet 1P/Halley on earlier passes around the Sun. The Earth crosses the same stream in May, producing the Eta Aquariids. Halley itself next returns to the inner solar system in 2061.
How many meteors will I see?
Under a dark rural sky, around 10 to 20 an hour at the peak. From a town you will see fewer. The Orionids are fast, and the brighter ones often leave glowing trains that linger after the meteor has gone.
Set the Alarm
The Orionid meteor shower 2026 rewards the people who get up for it. Pick the clearest night, be outside once the Moon has set at around three, face south-east, and you have every chance of catching a piece of Halley's Comet burning up overhead. Written In The Stars. Told By You.
