Overview
- The Orionids, created by debris from Halley’s Comet, reach their maximum on the nights of October 22–23, with activity continuing into early November.
- Under dark conditions the shower typically produces roughly 10–20 meteors per hour, with many leaving glowing trains and occasional bright fireballs.
- Orionid meteors are especially fast at about 66 kilometers per second, which makes them striking but best observed with the naked eye rather than telescopes.
- NASA advises watching after midnight from a dark location, allowing eyes to adapt, and lying with feet toward the southeast in the Northern Hemisphere or northeast in the Southern Hemisphere.
- UK observers are set for favorable views with an early‑setting Moon, and research highlights Keswick in the Lake District among top sites; Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) is expected to be visible after sunset low in the west, likely needing binoculars.