The Orionids are an October shower associated with material from Halley's Comet. The radiant is near Orion, but the meteors can be seen crossing other parts of the sky.
Wait for a useful height
Check when Orion rises and how much dark time remains before dawn. An early-evening session can have poor radiant geometry even when the weather is clear. The preferred hour depends on latitude, date and local twilight, so a worldwide calendar cannot replace that check.
Use a broad view without optical magnification. Give your eyes time away from direct lamps and choose a comfortable observing position. Moonlight can hide fainter paths, making a shorter moonless interval more useful than a longer bright one.
Read the selected year's prediction and keep expectations flexible. Record actual watching time, cloud and breaks if you count. A published shower rate assumes conditions that may differ sharply from your site. The rising Orion constellation can be a backup target if the shower is slow or the available gap in cloud is narrow.
Year-specific planning dates
No upcoming year-specific date for this shower has been reviewed in this selective calendar. Check the current source prediction before planning a dedicated watch.
Sources and review
Reviewed October 22, 2026 by PiSpace Sky editorial. Date-sensitive details can change.