The Orionid meteor shower, which is due to peak in a matter of days, is the second shower of the year caused as Earth passes through the densest part of debris from Halley’s comet.<\/p>\n
When they reach their peak, the Orionid meteors display what astronomers consider to be one of the most beautiful and bright showers of the year<\/a>.<\/p>\n Why? That’s because the meteors are so fast \u2013 blazing at a dizzying 148,000 mph \u2013 that they can leave a stunning glowing trail in their wake and even produce magnificent fireballs lasting for several minutes.<\/p>\n And skygazers are in luck, as the peak in activity producing the cosmic <\/a>light show around the world is expected within a matter of days.<\/p>\n The Orionid meteor shower reliably kicks off each fall<\/a> when Earth passes through the densest part of the debris path of the famous Halley’s comet, which also happens to produce the ETA Aquarids in May<\/a>.<\/p>\n Here’s everything to know about the Orionid meteor shower, and its impending peak \u2013 visible from both the Northern and Southern hemispheres.<\/p>\n When is the Orionid meteor shower?<\/p>\n The Orionid meteor shower already became active in 2025 beginning Oct. 2, and is expected to remain so until at least Nov. 7, according to the American Meteor Society<\/a>.<\/p>\n When was the last meteor shower? What to know about Perseids, Draconids<\/p>\n The meteor shower will be the second to peak in October 2025 after the Draconid meteor shower peaked Oct. 8<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Perseid Meteor Shower<\/a>, widely considered among stargazers to be the best of the year, also hit its peak in August<\/a>.<\/p>\n Orionid meteor shower 2025: Here’s when, what time, activity peaks<\/p>\n This year, the Orionid meteor shower is set to peak between Monday, Oct. 20 and Tuesday, Oct. 21, according to the Planetary Society<\/a>.<\/p>\n The best time to see meteors are typically between midnight and pre-dawn hours. Visit the website TimeAndDate.com<\/a>\u00a0to find the best times and viewing directions for your location.<\/p>\n How many meteors will be visible? What to know about shower rate<\/p>\n On average, the Orionids produce anywhere from 10 to 20 meteors per hour at their peak in mid-to-late October whizzing at about 41 miles per second, according to NASA<\/a>.<\/p>\n An exception came between 2006 and 2009 when the 50 to 75 meteors the Orionids put out per hour were\u00a0on par with the Perseids<\/a>.<\/p>\n Meteors that travel that fast often leave glowing trains of debris in their wake, which can last for a few seconds or even for several minutes. Sometimes, Orionid meteors have the potential to become fireballs with prolonged explosions of light.<\/p>\n Could the moon interfere with Orionids? Tips for seeing streaking meteors<\/p>\n In 2025, a dark, invisible waning crescent moon<\/a> is not expected to spoil the view of the Orionids at all, according to the American Meteor Society.<\/p>\n Named after after\u00a0Orion<\/a>\u00a0because the meteors seem to emerge \u2013 or radiate \u2013 from the same area in the sky as the constellation, the Orionids are also framed by some of the brightest stars in the night sky.<\/p>\n Despite the meteor shower’s namesake, astronomers advise spectators to avoid looking toward the constellation Orion if they want to get the best views. The meteors are visible anywhere in the night sky, particularly \u2012 if you want to get technical \u2012 45 to 90 degrees away from the radiant, according to NASA.<\/p>\n Here are some other general viewing tips from NASA:<\/p>\n “In less than 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt and you will begin to see meteors,” NASA explains. “Be patient \u2013 the show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse.”<\/p>\n Want to find a dark area near you? DarkSky International is a U.S nonprofit that maintains a list of designated dark sky communities around the world, including\u00a0165 in the United States<\/a>.<\/p>\n What causes the Orionids? Are meteor showers ‘shooting stars?’<\/p>\n Meteor showers occur\u00a0when Earth passes through dusty debris trails left\u00a0by comets and other space objects as they orbit the sun.<\/p>\n The debris \u2013 space rocks known as meteoroids \u2013 collides with Earth’s atmosphere at high speed and disintegrates, creating fiery and colorful streaks in the sky,\u00a0according to NASA<\/a>.<\/p>\n Those resulting fireballs, better known as “shooting stars,” are meteors. If meteoroids survive their trip to Earth without burning up in the atmosphere, they are called meteorites,\u00a0NASA says.<\/p>\n And the Orionids parent comet is the most famous one of them all: Halley\u2019s Comet.<\/p>\n Halley, which takes about 76 years for each orbit of the sun, won’t be seen again by casual observers until 2061 after it was last sighted in 1986.<\/p>\n But despite its rare appearance to us here on Earth, Halley’s impact is still felt at least twice a year when we enter its debris path. Each time Halley returns to the inner solar system, its nucleus sheds ice and rocky dust into space that eventually becomes not only the Orionids every October, but\u00a0the Eta Aquarids in May.<\/p>\n What other meteor showers are happening in 2025?<\/p>\n Here’s a look at other meteor showers coming up in 2025, including the date range that they’re active and when they’ll peak.<\/p>\n The Quadrantids will also begin in 2025 on Dec. 26, but the shower will not peak until Jan. 3, 2026.<\/p>\n\n
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