Orionid meteor shower’s glowing streaks and fireballs will light up the sky

SOCIETYWednesday, October 21, 2026 2:31PMWatch ABC News live news stream and get 24/7 latest, breaking news coverage, and live video. The Orionid meteor shower creates one of the most brilliant displays in the night sky each fall — but this year’s celestial event may have a dimmer showing due to a bright moon. Unlike the recent Draconid meteor shower, a treat for early sleepers, the Orionids will reward those who stay up late or rise in the dark hours before dawn. The shower, which appears every year as Earth passes through the debris trail left by Halley’s comet, is predicted to peak at 2 p.m. ET Wednesday. That means the best time to spot the quickly flashing meteors will be during the overnight hours between Wednesday and Thursday, according to EarthSky. Sky-gazers across the Northern and Southern hemispheres should start to see meteors zip by after midnight local time. Just a few days before the full moon rises on October 26, the waxing gibbous moon will be 76% illuminated Wednesday night, according to the American Meteor Society — which could make it harder to spot the shower during parts of the viewing period.

SOCIETYWatch ABC News live news stream and get 24/7 latest, breaking news coverage, and live video. Wednesday, October 21, 2026 2:31PMThe Orionid meteor shower creates one of the most brilliant displays in the night sky each fall — but this year’s celestial event may have a dimmer showing due to a bright moon. Unlike the recent Draconid meteor shower, a treat for early sleepers, the Orionids will reward those who stay up late or rise in the dark hours before dawn. The shower, which appears every year as Earth passes through the debris trail left by Halley’s comet, is predicted to peak at 2 p.m. ET Wednesday. That means the best time to spot the quickly flashing meteors will be during the overnight hours between Wednesday and Thursday, according to EarthSky. Sky-gazers across the Northern and Southern hemispheres should start to see meteors zip by after midnight local time. Just a few days before the full moon rises on October 26, the waxing gibbous moon will be 76% illuminated Wednesday night, according to the American Meteor Society — which could make it harder to spot the shower during parts of the viewing period.

SOCIETYWednesday, October 21, 2026 2:31PMWatch ABC News live news stream and get 24/7 latest, breaking news coverage, and live video. The Orionid meteor shower creates one of the most brilliant displays in the night sky each fall — but this year’s celestial event may have a dimmer showing due to a bright moon. Unlike the recent Draconid meteor shower, a treat for early sleepers, the Orionids will reward those who stay up late or rise in the dark hours before dawn. The shower, which appears every year as Earth passes through the debris trail left by Halley’s comet, is predicted to peak at 2 p.m. ET Wednesday. That means the best time to spot the quickly flashing meteors will be during the overnight hours between Wednesday and Thursday, according to EarthSky. Sky-gazers across the Northern and Southern hemispheres should start to see meteors zip by after midnight local time. Just a few days before the full moon rises on October 26, the waxing gibbous moon will be 76% illuminated Wednesday night, according to the American Meteor Society — which could make it harder to spot the shower during parts of the viewing period.

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