The peak of the Orionids meteor shower will soon return to the night sky.
This year promises to be a particularly spectacular show, as the peak of the 2025 Orionid meteor shower happens to fall on the night of a New Moon when the sky will be at its darkest.
As you don’t need any special equipment to see them, meteor showers are a great way to begin stargazing – all you need is your eyes and a dark night sky.
Here’s everything you need to know to make the most of the show.
When is the Orionid meteor shower tonight?
The 2025 Orionid meteor shower peaks on the night of 21 to 22 October in the US and UK, though you can see Orionids throughout October and into November.
The Orionids are a relatively prolific shower. Under absolutely ideal conditions, you could expect to see anywhere between 10 to 20 meteors an hour. In reality, though, you can expect to see a meteor every 10 minutes or so.
What really makes the 2025 Orionids special is that they peak at the same time as a New Moon. This means the sky will be as dark as possible, allowing you to see much fainter meteors.
Meteors will be visible through the night, but early in the evening most will disappear below the horizon. You’ll get a better view if you wait until after midnight, when they’ll appear higher in the sky.
The real decider of whether you’ll see anything, of course, is the weather. Even if things aren’t looking great, keep an eye on the forecast for any breaks in the clouds. As long as there are some patches of clear sky, you might still be able to catch a few meteors.
If the weather isn’t going your way on the night of the peak, don’t worry. You should still see a good number of meteors on the days before and after 21 October.
How can you see the Orionids in 2025?
The best way to watch a meteor shower is to go to the darkest sky you can find. If you can get away from the light pollution of urban areas, that’s your best shot (just make sure you’re somewhere safe where you have permission to be after dark).
If you can’t get into the countryside, then try to hide away from any direct sources of light – whether that’s a local park or the one corner of your garden where the fence hides the streetlights.
Rather than looking in a specific direction, you want to take in as much of the sky as possible. A sun lounger is a great way to lie back and look up without straining your neck. Just remember to wrap up warm and bring some snacks with you.
Leave your telescope at home – your eyes are by far the best tool when it comes to meteor watching.
Allow your eyes time to adjust to the dark. It takes around 20 minutes to fully adapt. But be careful! Even the briefest glimpse of a bright light can set you back to zero – and yes, that includes your phone screen.
Now, just look up and be patient. Before long, you should begin to see meteors as bright streaks of light, flashing across the sky.
What is the meteor shower?
The Orionids are created by Halley’s Comet, which travels through the inner Solar System every 75 years or so (its next visit is due in 2061). When it passes by Earth, the comet’s tail leaves behind a stream of dust and debris.
Every year, Earth passes through this debris stream, causing the dust to hit Earth’s atmosphere at a staggering 70 km (41 miles) per second. This causes the air to superheat and glow brightly, leaving a long stream of light across the night sky, which we call a meteor or a shooting star.
Why are they called the Orionids?
The name comes from the fact that all the meteors appear to come from the constellation of Orion.
If you see an Orionid meteor and follow back the path it travelled along, you should find yourself at the constellation.
Orion is easily identifiable in the southern sky by the three bright stars that make up its famous belt. If you don’t know what to look for, download an astronomy or stargazing app to help you.
There is a chance you might see a meteor that doesn’t trace back to Orion. In that case – congratulations! You’ve managed to spot a random meteor that just happened to hit Earth during the shower.
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