MeteorShowerCal

Orionids 2026

The peak falls on Wednesday 21 October 2026 at 18:23 UTC, with the Moon 79% lit — a bright sky — a near-full Moon will leave only the brightest meteors visible.

Peak instant
Moon at peak
79% lit, waxing gibbous
Active
1 October 2026 – 7 November 2026
Zenithal hourly rate
20
Radiant declination
+15.7°
Rank for Moon in 2026
8 of 12

What 2026 actually offers

Of the twelve showers on this site, 7 peak under a darker Moon in 2026. The darkest peak of the year belongs to the Perseids, with the Moon 0% lit. Moonlight does not remove meteors, it removes the faint ones: with a population index of 2.5, every magnitude of extra sky brightness divides the count you see by 2.5.

The radiant passes overhead at 15.7°N and never rises at all south of 74.3°S. That geometry does not change from year to year, so if this shower does not work from your latitude, no amount of moonless sky will fix it — check the latitude table before making plans around the date.

What is not knowable this far out is cloud. Numerical forecasts are useful inside about three days and steadily less so beyond that, which is why the verdict for a specific night is computed on the night from your own coordinates rather than published in advance.

The Moon across the whole activity window

Moon illumination during the Orionids activity window in 2026 Percentage of the Moon's disc illuminated, sampled twice a day from 1 October 2026 to 7 November 2026. The dashed line marks the shower's peak on 21 October 2026, when the Moon is 79% lit. 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% peak 1 Oct 8 Oct 16 Oct 23 Oct 31 Oct 7 Nov Moon lit (%)
Illuminated fraction of the Moon through the 2 October – 7 November activity window. A dip well away from the peak is a night the shower is still active and the sky is still dark — often a better trade than the peak itself.

The week around the peak

Moon illumination on each date at 00:00 UTC. Rate falls away either side of the peak, so a much darker sky two nights out is only worth taking when the activity window is broad — this one runs 2 October – 7 November.

Date Weekday Moon lit Phase
18 October 2026 Sunday 44% first quarter
19 October 2026 Monday 53% first quarter
20 October 2026 Tuesday 63% first quarter
21 October 2026 peak Wednesday 72% waxing gibbous
22 October 2026 Thursday 80% waxing gibbous
23 October 2026 Friday 88% waxing gibbous
24 October 2026 Saturday 94% waxing gibbous

Get reminded before the 2026 peak

One email seven days before a peak so you can keep the night free, and one on the evening itself with the verdict for your location. If your sky is going to be hopeless that night, the second email tells you the next good night instead of pretending otherwise.

You will get a confirmation email first — nothing is sent until you click the link in it. Every email carries a one-click unsubscribe. We store your address, the rounded coordinates and your time zone, and nothing else. See the privacy notice.

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