Orionid Meteor Shower Peaks October 21–22 as Saturn's South Pole Decagon Draws Scrutiny
The Orionid meteor shower is happening now and will last until November 7, with bits of Halley's Comet lighting up the night sky. If you're in the US, the best time to catch the show is from the evening of October 21 until dawn on October 22, where you could see up to 20 meteors an hour. But beware, the nearly full moon might hide some of the meteors, so the best viewing will be after the moon sets and before sunrise. The Orionids are known for their speed and can even create bright fireballs. In October 2025, a NASA camera at the Marshall Space Flight Center snapped a photo of the shower. This month, Saturn was at opposition, and on October 24, the moon will be close to it. Also, at the end of the month, the moon will be near the Pleiades, which you can see best from the night of October 27 into the morning of October 28.
Key facts
- The Orionid meteor shower runs until November 7 and peaks October 21–22 for US viewers
- Up to 20 meteors per hour are possible under dark skies, though a three-quarters-full moon may obscure many
- Orionids are known for speed and brightness, with fast meteors sometimes becoming fireballs as bright as Venus
- The shower is named for the constellation Orion, its radiant, but meteors appear across the whole sky
- Saturn reached opposition earlier in October and the moon comes close to it on October 24
- A decagon centered on Saturn's south pole was recorded nearly 50 years after an 18,600-mile-wide north polar hexagon
- The moon passes near the Pleiades the evening of October 27 into the morning of October 28
- A NASA camera at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama captured an Orionid image in October 2025
Entities
Institutions
- NASA
- Marshall Space Flight Center
- WIRED Japan
- WIRED
Locations
- Alabama
- United States
- Japan