Above: Photo from Goldpaint Photography of the October 2011 Orionid meteor shower at Middle Falls, located just outside the city of McCloud near Mount Shasta, CA. It’s a composite consisting of every meteor captured during the night and includes the Milky Way crashing into the illuminated falls. The image was Grand Prize Winner of Outdoor Photographer Magazine’s 3rd Annual Great Outdoors Photography Contest and published in their July 2012 issue. Notice there is more than one shower happening here. More from Goldpaint Photography here.

Tonight – the night of October 20-21, 2020 – may well present the Orionid meteor shower’s peak night. They’ll probably be most prolific in the few hours before dawn on October 21, but try watching before dawn on October 22, too.

From a dark site, you might see a maximum of about 10 to 15 meteors per hour.

Fortunately, the waxing crescent moon will set in the evening, so there’ll be no moonlight to ruin this year’s Orionid meteor shower. Click here to find out the moon’s setting time in your sky, remembering to check the moonrise and moonset box.

As is the case for many meteor showers, the best time to watch is between midnight and dawn – regardless of your time zone.

The meteors – vaporizing bits of comet ice and dust – will look like streaks of light in the night sky. They’re sometimes called shooting stars.

An hour or two before dawn’s first light, watch for the planet Venus to rise into your eastern predawn sky. Click here for a recommended sky almanac; an almanac can help you determine rising time for Venus in your sky.

The predawn and dawn sky also offers a great view of Sirius, the sky’s brightest star. Watch for it in the south (or overhead if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere) before dawn.

The Orionids stem from debris from the most famous of all comets, Comet Halley, pictured above. The picture shows Comet Halley itself at its 1910 visit. The comet last visited Earth in 1986 and will return next in 2061.

As Comet Halley moves through space, it leaves debris in its wake that strikes Earth’s atmosphere most fully around October 20-22, every year. The comet is nowhere near, but, around this time every year, Earth is intersecting the comet’s orbit.

If the meteors originate from Comet Halley, why are they called the Orionids? The answer is that meteors in annual showers are named for the point in our sky from which they appear to radiate. The radiant point for the Orionids is in the direction of the constellation Orion the Hunter. Hence the name.

Remember … even one meteor can be a thrill. Just be sure you have a dark sky.

Bring along a blanket or lawn chair – after midnight or before dawn – and lie back comfortably while gazing upward. Although a somewhat modest shower, these swift-moving meteors are sometimes bright, occasionally leaving a persistent train – a glowing streak that lingers momentarily after the meteor has gone!

Donate: Your support means the world to us

Bottom line: Best night for the Orionid meteor shower in 2020 is probably October 20-21, especially between midnight and dawn October 21. You might see as many as 10 to 15 meteors per hour from a dark site. Fortunately, no moon will ruin this year’s Orionid meteor shower.

EarthSky’s meteor guide for 2017