Is there a meteor shower tonight?
Only a minor one — the Orionids and Taurids are active, but weak tonight.
The Orionids are building toward their peak on the night of October 21–22, 8 days away. The Moon is a 12% waxing crescent.
Best timeFrom mid-northern latitudes the Orionids are best after midnight, around 4 AM local time, until dawn starts to brighten the sky.
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Guide · 10 min
How to watch a meteor shower
Dark adaptation, where to look, how long to stay out.
Guide · 6 min
The best time to look
Why the hours before dawn beat the evening, and the exceptions.
Guide · 5 min
What “100 an hour” really means
ZHR explained, and how to turn it into your own count.
Questions
Is there a meteor shower tonight?
Only a minor one — the Orionids and Taurids are active, but weak tonight. The Orionids are building toward their peak on the night of October 21–22, 8 days away. The sky panel above works out what that means where you are.
When is the next meteor shower?
The next peak is the Orionids, on the night of October 21–22 (in 8 days). Every date of the year is on the calendar.
What is the best meteor shower of the year?
By rate, the Geminids in December (ZHR 150) — they also start well before midnight, which makes them the easiest strong shower to see. The Perseids in August (ZHR 110) are the most watched, thanks to warm northern nights. Which one wins in a given year depends mostly on the Moon.
What time is the meteor shower tonight?
From mid-northern latitudes the Orionids are best after midnight, around 4 AM local time, until dawn starts to brighten the sky. The sky panel gives the exact window for your place, with the Moon and clouds.
What time is best to watch a meteor shower?
For most showers, the hours between about 1 AM and the first light of dawn, when the radiant is highest. The Geminids and the evening Draconids are the exceptions. More in the best time to look.
How many meteors will I actually see?
Fewer than the headline number. A ZHR assumes a perfect sky with the radiant overhead; a suburb shows about 40% of what a dark site does, a city about a sixth. The rates on this site are the ones you could count yourself — see what ZHR really means.