Will I see the Orionids 2027?
Halley's Comet again, on the other side of its orbit. Fast meteors after midnight, visible from both hemispheres.
Quiet shower
Up to about 5 meteors an hour from a dark place near London around 04:24, with a half moon (63% lit) up at the best hour. In a city, about 1.
From your city, 21–22 Oct
Meteors an hour at the best moment of the peak night (local time), from a dark place nearby and from the city itself, and how often the sky was clear on that night (2014–2025).
UK & Ireland
| City | Best time | Dark sky | In the city | Clear sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 04:24 | 5/h | 1/h | 49% |
| Manchester | 04:24 | 5/h | 1/h | 22% |
| Birmingham | 04:24 | 5/h | 1/h | 40% |
| Bristol | 04:24 | 5/h | 1/h | 35% |
| Cardiff | 04:24 | 5/h | 1/h | 33% |
| Newcastle | 04:24 | 5/h | 1/h | 27% |
| Glasgow | 04:24 | 5/h | 1/h | 22% |
| Edinburgh | 04:24 | 5/h | 1/h | 27% |
| Belfast | 04:24 | 5/h | 1/h | 17% |
| Dublin | 04:24 | 5/h | 1/h | 28% |
Europe
| City | Best time | Dark sky | In the city | Clear sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris | 05:09 | 5/h | 1/h | 37% |
| Amsterdam | 04:54 | 5/h | 1/h | 19% |
| Brussels | 04:54 | 5/h | 1/h | 32% |
| Berlin | 04:24 | 5/h | 1/h | 26% |
| Munich | 04:24 | 5/h | 1/h | 36% |
| Zurich | 04:39 | 5/h | 1/h | 55% |
| Vienna | 04:09 | 5/h | 1/h | 33% |
| Copenhagen | 04:39 | 5/h | 1/h | 24% |
| Stockholm | 04:09 | 5/h | 1/h | 13% |
| Oslo | 04:39 | 5/h | 1/h | 23% |
| Helsinki | 04:54 | 5/h | 1/h | 23% |
| Reykjavík | 03:24 | 4/h | 1/h | 19% |
| Madrid | 05:24 | 5/h | 1/h | 42% |
| Barcelona | 05:09 | 5/h | 1/h | 45% |
| Lisbon | 04:24 | 5/h | 1/h | 39% |
| Rome | 04:24 | 5/h | 1/h | 77% |
| Athens | 04:39 | 5/h | 1/h | – |
North America
| City | Best time | Dark sky | In the city | Clear sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 05:39 | 5/h | 1/h | 64% |
| Boston | 05:24 | 5/h | 1/h | 64% |
| Washington DC | 05:54 | 5/h | 1/h | 80% |
| Atlanta | 06:09 | 5/h | 1/h | 80% |
| Miami | 05:54 | 5/h | 1/h | 54% |
| Chicago | 05:24 | 5/h | 1/h | 73% |
| Dallas | 06:09 | 5/h | 1/h | 74% |
| Denver | 05:39 | 5/h | 1/h | 71% |
| Phoenix | 04:54 | 5/h | 1/h | 85% |
| Los Angeles | 05:24 | 5/h | 1/h | 82% |
| San Francisco | 05:39 | 5/h | 1/h | 82% |
| Seattle | 05:39 | 5/h | 1/h | 52% |
| Toronto | 05:54 | 5/h | 1/h | 65% |
| Montreal | 05:39 | 5/h | 1/h | 58% |
| Vancouver | 05:54 | 5/h | 1/h | 47% |
| Calgary | 06:09 | 5/h | 1/h | 64% |
Australia, New Zealand & South Africa
| City | Best time | Dark sky | In the city | Clear sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | 04:24 | 5/h | 1/h | 55% |
| Melbourne | 04:54 | 5/h | 1/h | 43% |
| Brisbane | 03:09 | 5/h | 1/h | 48% |
| Perth | 03:39 | 5/h | 1/h | 55% |
| Auckland | 04:54 | 5/h | 1/h | – |
| Christchurch | 05:09 | 5/h | 1/h | – |
| Cape Town | 03:54 | 5/h | 1/h | 71% |
The coming years
The moon decides most years. From a dark place near London at the best time:
| Year | Peak night (UK) | Moon | Meteors/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 21–22 Oct | 63% | 5 |
| 2028 | 20–21 Oct | 10% | 15 |
| 2029 | 20–21 Oct | 98% | 9 |
| 2030 | 20–21 Oct | 33% | 9 |
Orionids in numbers
- Active
- Oct 2 – Nov 7
- Radiant
- Orion (RA 95°, Dec +16°)
- Speed
- 66 km/s
- Parent
- comet 1P/Halley
- Best from
- both hemispheres
Other showers coming up
Northern Taurids
Quiet showerUp to 5 an hour in perfect skiesLeonids
Worth a lookUp to 15 an hour in perfect skiesGeminids
Great yearUp to 150 an hour in perfect skiesUrsids
Quiet showerUp to 10 an hour in perfect skiesOrionids: questions
It peaks at 15:24 UTC on 21 October 2027, so the best night is 21–22 October 2027 in the UK. It is active from Oct 2 – Nov 7.
In perfect skies up to 20 an hour (the ZHR). From a dark place near London, about 5 an hour at the best time; near New York 5; near Sydney 5. From a town, about a fifth of that.
Around 04:24 in the UK on the peak night, when the radiant in Orion is 53° high. Check your own city above.
Dust from comet 1P/Halley. The Earth crosses its trail every year; the bits burn up at 66 km/s about 100 km up. They seem to come from Orion, which gives the shower its name.
From airport weather records 2014–2025, the sky on the Orionids peak nights was on average 49% clear in London, 64% in New York and 55% in Sydney. Every city is in the table above.