The Orionid meteor shower peaks today, offering a good chunk of Moon-free observing in the hours before dawn.

| Published: October 21, 2026

Wait until after the Moon sets on the morning of Oct. 21 to catch the Orionids. Credit: Astronomy: Roen Kelly

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October 20: Lovely spiral NGC 7331

The Orionid meteor shower peaks this morning — the perfect time to watch for shooting stars, as Earth turns into the meteoroid stream of dusty debris responsible for the show.

The best time to do some meteor-watching is between 2 A.M. local daylight time and dawn, as the radiant in Orion rises higher and the Moon has already set. Around 5 A.M., the Hunter stands above the southern horizon, his famous three-star Belt easy to find. Meteors in the Orionid shower appear to originate just to the upper left (northeast) of Betelgeuse, the bright red giant that serves as one of Orion’s shoulders.…