October is a great month for meteor watching, and one of the year’s most reliable showers will soon be lighting up the night sky. The Orionid meteor shower reaches its peak in October, giving stargazers a chance to see fast, bright meteors streak across the sky.
The Orionids are active from early October through early November, with the best activity expected around October 21 and 22, 2026.
What Are the Orionids?
The Orionids are created by dust and debris left behind by Halley’s Comet. Every time Earth passes through the comet’s orbit, it encounters some of this material. When those tiny particles hit Earth’s atmosphere at tremendous speeds, they heat up and glow, producing the streaks of light we call meteors.
Orionid meteors are among the fastest of the major annual meteor showers, entering our atmosphere at about 41 miles per second (66 kilometers per second). Their speed can produce bright meteors and occasionally glowing trails that remain visible for a few moments after the meteor has disappeared.
The meteors appear to come from a point in the sky called the radiant, located near the constellation Orion. But you don’t need to look directly at Orion to see them. Meteors can appear anywhere in the sky, and looking somewhat away from the radiant can give you a better chance of seeing longer streaks.
When to Watch
The Orionids will reach their peak on the night of October 21 into the morning of October 22. Under dark skies and ideal conditions, observers can expect roughly 10–20 meteors per hour at the shower’s maximum.
Unfortunately, 2026 isn’t an especially favorable year for the Orionids because of the Moon. A bright waxing gibbous Moon will be in the sky during much of the night, washing out many of the shower’s fainter meteors.
There is good news, however. The Moon will set during the early morning hours, leaving the sky much darker before sunrise. In Denver, the best opportunity to see Orionids will be after moonset and before dawn, when Orion is high in the eastern sky and the sky is at its darkest.
You don’t have to wait for the exact peak, either. The Orionids are active for several weeks, and you may see increased activity on the nights before and after the peak. If the weather cooperates, try watching on multiple mornings around October 21 and 22.
How to Watch
You don’t need a telescope or binoculars to watch a meteor shower. In fact, your unaided eyes are best because they give you a much wider view of the sky.
Find a location away from bright city lights and give your eyes time to adjust to the darkness. A reclining lawn chair or blanket will make it much more comfortable to spend an hour or more watching the sky.
Once you’re settled in, look toward a broad section of the eastern or southern sky. You don’t need to find Orion to enjoy the shower. In fact, looking away from the radiant can make it easier to see meteors with longer trails.
Be patient. Meteor showers don’t produce meteors at perfectly regular intervals. You might see several in just a few minutes, followed by a stretch of quiet sky. Give yourself plenty of time, keep watching, and let your eyes stay dark-adapted.
And remember that the predicted meteor rate is an average under ideal conditions. Light pollution, moonlight, clouds, and the height of the radiant can all reduce the number of meteors you actually see.
A Little Piece of Halley’s Comet
There’s something especially fun about watching the Orionids. The meteors you see are tiny pieces of the same comet that has been visiting the inner solar system for thousands of years.
Halley’s Comet takes about 76 years to orbit the Sun. Although the comet itself won’t return to our skies until 2061, Earth passes through its trail of debris every year. When you see an Orionid streak across the sky, you’re seeing a tiny piece of that ancient comet burn up high above Earth.
So grab a chair, find a dark spot, and give yourself some time under the October sky. Even with the Moon interfering during the first part of the night, the hours after moonset offer a good opportunity to catch some of these fast-moving visitors from Halley’s Comet.
Keep Looking Up
The Orionids are a reminder that you don’t need a telescope to see something remarkable in the night sky. Sometimes all it takes is a dark place, a comfortable chair, and a little patience.
