Science Editor Anoushka Sinha explains how to catch the Orionid meteor shower in the early hours of 22 October, when debris from Halley’s Comet will streak across the night sky. With clear weather and a little patience, stargazers could spot up to 15 meteors an hour.
On 22 October 2025, between midnight and dawn, the Orionid meteor shower will be visible to us.
To spot the Orionids, the Royal Observatory Greenwich recommends allowing your eyes 15 minutes to adjust to the darkness – no bright screens or artificial light. Meteor showers cannot be observed using binoculars or a telescope as they travel across the sky too fast.
Once your eyes have adjusted, look for a string of three bright stars (Orion’s belt) in the southern region of the sky. Orion’s Belt will move from South-East to South-West between midnight and dawn.
Once you’ve spotted Orion’s Belt, wait.
The Orionids are an annual meteor shower that occur when the Earth passes through the orbit of Halley’s Comet. The debris left behind in this region of the Solar System is what appears as bright streaks in our night sky.
In the year 1705, astronomer Edmund Halley proposed that the comets which appear in our night skies every 70 years could all be part of one singular comet. After his death, others started paying more attention to the pattern, realised he was right and named the comet ‘Halley’s Comet’.
Comets orbit the Sun like planets. However unlike planets, they have non-circular orbits called ellipticals. This large oval-like orbit means that Halley’s Comet returns to Earth’s night skies every 76 years, the last time being in 1986.
Comets are balls of ice and rock which orbit the Sun. Meteors on the other hand are comparatively tiny rocks and debris which momentarily enter our atmosphere, before immediately burning up and creating a bright streak which we call ‘shooting stars’.
On a clear night, up to 15 meteors can be seen every hour. Our best recommendation is to put your phone away, find a warm hoodie, some hot chocolate and keep your eyes peeled for these majestic shooting stars to reveal themselves.
