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How to catch a glimpse of the dazzling Orionid meteor shower

October’s Orionid meteor shower is an annual favorite for sky-gazers, but it may face competition from the bright moon. Here’s how to see it.

CNNAshley Strickland2026-10-21 10:00查看原文 ↗

The Orionid meteor shower creates one of the most brilliant displays in the night sky each fall — but this year’s celestial event may have a dimmer showing due to a bright moon.

Unlike the recent Draconid meteor shower , a treat for early sleepers, the Orionids will reward those who stay up late or rise in the dark hours before dawn.

The shower, which appears every year as Earth passes through the debris trail left by Halley’s comet, is predicted to peak at 2 p.m. ET Wednesday. That means the best time to spot the quickly flashing meteors will be during the overnight hours between Wednesday and Thursday, according to EarthSky . Sky-gazers across the Northern and Southern hemispheres should start to see meteors zip by after midnight local time.

Just a few days before the full moon rises on October 26, the waxing gibbous moon will be 76% illuminated Wednesday night, according to the American Meteor Society — which could make it harder to spot the shower during parts of the viewing period. But the bright moon is expected to set a few hours before sunrise, so sky watchers will have an optimal window to spot up to 20 meteors per hour.

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Orionid meteors are known to fly by at high speeds, streaking through Earth’s atmosphere at 41 miles per second (66 kilometers per second). Some of the glowing space rocks can leave behind lingering trains that remain visible for seconds to minutes, while larger debris fragments can create exceptionally luminous fireballs as they break up in the atmosphere, according to NASA .

The Orionids appear to originate from the direction of the Orion constellation, hence the shower’s name, but meteors will be visible across the night sky.

Halley’s comet completes one orbit around the sun about every 76 years, shedding dust and debris along the way. Earth crosses paths with this trail every October — and again each May, which results in the Eta Aquariid meteor shower. But unlike our planet, Halley’s comet moves in a retrograde orbit — meaning it moves in the opposite direction around the sun.

For the best view of the Orionids, avoid areas with intense light pollution, such as urban areas with streetlights. Sit in a reclining lawn chair or lie on your back to get a wide view of the sky.

There are more meteor showers to look forward to as the end of the year approaches. Here are the peak dates to glimpse these dazzling celestial events, according to the American Meteor Society .

Southern Taurids: November 4-5

Northern Taurids: November 11-12

Leonids: November 16-17

Geminids: December 13-14

Ursids: December 21-22

猎户座流星雨每年秋季都会在夜空中形成最绚丽的景象之一——但由于月光明亮，今年的这场天文奇观可能会显得黯淡一些。

与最近为早睡者准备的天龙座流星雨不同，猎户座流星雨将奖励那些熬夜或在黎明前的黑暗中起床的人。

每年地球穿过哈雷彗星留下的碎片带时都会出现这场流星雨，预计其高峰期将在美国东部时间周三下午2点到来。据EarthSky报道，这意味着观测这些快速闪烁的流星的最佳时间是周三至周四的夜间。南北半球的天文爱好者应该会在当地时间午夜过后开始看到流星划过天际。

据美国流星协会称，在10月26日满月升起前几天，上弦月将于周三晚间被照亮76%，这可能会使流星雨在部分观测时段更难被发现。但预计明亮的月亮将在日出前几个小时落下，因此观星者将拥有最佳观测窗口，每小时最多可观测到20颗流星。

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据美国宇航局称，猎户座流星雨以极高的速度掠过地球大气层，速度高达每秒 41 英里（每秒 66 公里）。一些发光的太空岩石会留下持续数秒至数分钟的痕迹，而较大的碎片在大气层中解体时会产生异常明亮的火球。

猎户座流星雨似乎起源于猎户座方向，因此得名，但整个夜空中都能看到流星。