Meteor Showers in October 2026: When, Where & How To Watch Them
Eight meteor showers will reach their maximum activity in October 2026, including the prolific Orionids and bright Draconids. Use the astronomical calendar in the Sky Tonight app to learn the peak dates for each meteor shower, see their radiant position in the sky above you, and set notifications not to miss the best time for observation. Also, read this article to learn the latest meteor shower news!
Contents
- Major October Meteor Showers
- Minor October Meteor Showers
- How to watch a meteor shower tonight?
- Meteor showers in October 2026: the key takeaway
Major October Meteor Showers
October 8–9: Draconids’ peak
- Meteors per hour: 5
- Moon Illumination: 3%
- Active: October 6–10
- Radiant location: constellation Draco
- Visible from: Northern Hemisphere
- Visibility forecast: Observing conditions will be excellent for the Draconids in 2026 because the meteor shower peaks near the New Moon. No Draconid outburst is expected, so plan for a typical, modest rate of about 5 meteors per hour. The main advantage this year is the absence of moonlight during the peak, which will make even faint Draconids easier to spot. The best viewing window is the evening of October 8 into the early hours of October 9, when the radiant in Draco is high in the northern sky.
- Description: The Draconid meteor shower is odd and unpredictable. Unlike the other meteor showers that are best visible before dawn, the Draconids provide the best view in the evening hours. In most years, they produce no more than ten meteors under dark skies, but there have been times when they entertained stargazers with several hundred meteors in a single hour. The next time such a show is forecast for 2062. The Draconids’ parent body is the comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, which is why they are also sometimes called the Giacobinids. Learn more about the Draconid meteor shower in our dedicated article.
October 21–22: Orionids’ peak
- Meteors per hour: 20
- Moon Illumination: 70%
- Active: October 2 – November 7
- Radiant location: constellation Orion
- Visible from: both hemispheres
- Visibility forecast: In 2026, the Orionids peak under a waxing Moon, which will brighten the sky considerably in the first half of the night. It’s better to wait until the pre-dawn hours, when the radiant is higher, and the Moon is lower in the sky, eventually setting below the horizon.
- Description: The Orionids are known for their fast meteors and occasional bright fireballs. They enter the Earth’s atmosphere at 66 km/s (about 148,000 mph)! These fast meteors also produce ionized gas trails that last for several seconds. In general, Orionids are among the most beautiful meteor showers of the year. Learn more about it in our dedicated article.
Minor October Meteor Showers
October 1: Daytime Sextantids’ peak
- Meteors per hour: 5
- Active: September 20 – October 6
- Radiant location: constellation Sextans
- Visible from: Both hemispheres
- Visibility forecast: In 2026, the Daytime Sextantids will peak on October 1. The radiant of this meteor shower lies in the constellation Sextans, close to the Sun, so the Daytime Sextantids are only visible shortly before dawn. To spot the Daytime Sextantids’ meteors, start observations around 4-5 a.m. local time when the Sun doesn’t block the view.
- Description: The Daytime Sextantids’ meteors are relatively slow — they enter the terrestrial atmosphere at a velocity of 32 km/s. The source of this weak stream is the Apollo asteroid 2005 UD.
October 5: October Camelopardalids’ peak
- Meteors per hour: 5
- Moon Illumination: 30%
- Active: October 5–6
- Radiant location: constellation Camelopardalis
- Visible from: Northern Hemisphere
- Visibility forecast: This year, conditions for observing the October Camelopardalids are relatively good — the waning crescent Moon sets in the evening and doesn’t interfere with observations. Moreover, in the Northern Hemisphere, the shower’s radiant is circumpolar and remains visible all night.
- Description: The origin of the October Camelopardalids is a mystery. The meteors have an orbit that suggests they probably came from a Halley-type long-period comet. However, there is no known comet that has been identified as the source of the Camelopardalids. That means either that we haven't discovered it yet, or that the comet has already disintegrated or collided with another object.
October 11: Delta Aurigids’ peak
- Meteors per hour: 2
- Moon Illumination: 1%
- Active: October 10–18
- Radiant location: constellation Auriga
- Visible from: Northern Hemisphere
- Visibility forecast: This year, conditions for observing the Delta Aurigids are favorable, as the peak coincides with a New Moon phase. However, with rates of only about two meteors per hour, this shower will appeal only to the most dedicated meteor hunters.
- Description: The δ-Aurigids (Delta Aurigids) are not broadly studied. Current information about this stream is based on IMO video data since the late 1990s; therefore, any observations might refine our knowledge about it.
October 13: Southern Taurids’ early peak
- Meteors per hour: 5
- Moon Illumination: 9%
- Active: September 10 – November 20
- Radiant location: constellation Taurus
- Visible from: both hemispheres
- Visibility forecast: With a typical rate of about five meteors per hour, the Southern Taurids are a modest shower visible from both hemispheres. The early peak in October is mostly moonlight-free, and the main maximum in November will also be unaffected by moonlight. The radiant rises at its highest around 2–3 a.m. local time — this is the best time to hunt for meteors.
- Description: This meteor shower is perfect for meteor photography newcomers. The Southern Taurids’ bright and relatively slow meteors are ideal targets for capturing; this stream also has a stable and low meteor rate that allows for practicing visual planning techniques. The parent body of the Southern Taurids is comet 2P/Encke. The meteor shower has a “sibling,” the Northern Taurids, which are active from October 20 to December 10 and peak on November 12. You can learn more about the Taurids from our dedicated article.
October 18: Epsilon Geminids’ peak
- Meteors per hour: 3
- Moon Illumination: 46%
- Active: October 14–27
- Radiant location: constellation Gemini
- Visible from: both hemispheres
- Visibility forecast: In 2026, viewing conditions for the Epsilon Geminids will be fairly favorable, with the peak occurring near the First Quarter Moon. The Moon will be up during the first part of the night, but it will set before the radiant climbs higher, improving visibility. In the Northern Hemisphere, start watching around local midnight. In the Southern Hemisphere, the radiant stays lower, so it’s best to begin later, closer to the pre-dawn hours.
- Description: In comparison to the Geminids in December, the ε-Geminids (Epsilon Geminids) are way less entertaining. With only a couple of meteors visible per hour, they’re not worth going outside during the night, especially if it’s cold there. However, the ε-Geminids are a nice addition to the Orionid meteors in general, as they peak at around the same time.
October 24: Leonis Minorids’ peak
- Meteors per hour: 2
- Moon Illumination: 93%
- Active: October 19–27
- Radiant location: constellation Leo Minor
- Visible from: Northern Hemisphere
- Visibility forecast: In 2026, the conditions for observing the Leonis Minorids are unfortunate, as the peak will occur near the Full Moon. With a maximum rate of only two meteors per hour under favorable conditions, this meteor shower will likely go unnoticed by observers this year.
- Description: The Leonis Minorid stream was first found in video meteor data. Under a dark sky, this meteor shower can be visible with the naked eye, but it’s too weak to be an interesting target for amateur stargazers.
How to watch a meteor shower tonight?
You can prepare for the most successful meteor shower observations with an astronomy app Sky Tonight. Here are some important things to keep in mind:
Find out the meteor shower’s peak time.
Open the Calendar feature in Sky Tonight and go to the Meteors section. Each meteor shower is marked as a colored line in the calendar, and the peak times are marked as dots. Choose the meteor shower you want to observe and tap on the event to get more information.
Find out when the radiant is high in the sky.
To find out when the radiant is the highest, tap on the name of the meteor shower (it's marked blue in the Info section of the meteor shower’s event page), then go to the Events section, and look at Visible Passes. The middle time is the time when the meteor shower’s radiant is highest in the sky for your location. Tap on it to see the radiant’s position on the sky map at that moment.
Check the weather forecast and the Moon’s phase.
In Sky Tonight, you can find the Moon’s phase, weather forecast, and more stargazing details for a given date in the Visible Tonight section (the telescope icon on the main screen).
Get more tips for watching meteor showers in our dedicated article. And if you think you are fully prepared, test your meteor-hunting skills by taking the quiz on how to catch a shooting star.
Meteor showers in October 2026: the key takeaway
October 2026 will bring eight meteor showers, including two major ones — the Draconids and the Orionids. The Draconids meteor rate should be modest, but they peak under a moonless sky. The Orionids, by contrast, peak under a 70%-illuminated Moon that sets after midnight, so the best strategy is to wait until the pre-dawn hours for darker skies. They should deliver one of the month’s best celestial shows, with around 20 meteors per hour.
Several smaller showers, such as the Southern Taurids and Epsilon Geminids, will also benefit from dark skies, though they produce only a few meteors per hour. Get ready for the nights of shooting stars with the astronomy calendar in our app Sky Tonight!
Wishing you clear skies and happy observations!
