One of the most beautiful showers of the year will peak over Ontario

Ontario, get ready! What NASA calls “one of the most beautiful showers of the year” will peak over Ontario this evening. Those lucky enough to catch it are in for a dazzling show.

The Orionids have been active since Oct. 2 and into Nov. 7, 2026, but they peak on the night of Oct. 21 into Oct. 22. This occurs mid-October each year.

The Orionids: What to know

What are The Orionids?

According to NASA, Orionid meteors are known for their brightness and speed. These meteors are fast, travelling at about 66 km per second into Earth’s atmosphere. Under Dark Skies, about 10 to 20 meteors are observed per hour.

“Fast meteors can leave glowing “trains” (incandescent bits of debris in the wake of the meteor) which last for several seconds to minutes,” shares NASA. “Fast meteors can also sometimes become fireballs: Look for prolonged explosions of light when viewing the Orionid meteor shower.”

And to make it all more magical, the Orionids are also framed by some of the brightest stars in the night sky. This serves as a glowy and stunning backdrop for these meteors.

How can I watch the Orionids meteor shower?

Avid stargazers will tell you, Dark-Sky Preserves are the place to be – away from the city, street lights and any light pollution.

Though it’s a tad more difficult for us here in the city, if you can make the trip, Point Pelee National Park is a Royal Astronomical Society of Canada-designated Dark-Sky site. It was first recognized in 2006 and since then has become a top spot to stargaze.

Other Dark-Sky sites include Torrance Barrens Conservation Reserve, Manitoulin Eco Park, and Killarney Provincial Park, according to the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

According to NASA, you can view the Orionids in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres after midnight. “Come prepared with a sleeping bag, blanket, or lawn chair. Lie flat on your back with your feet facing southeast if you are in the Northern Hemisphere or northeast if you are in the Southern Hemisphere, and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible,” they share.

“In less than 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adapt, and you will begin to see meteors. Be patient – the show will last until dawn, so you have plenty of time to catch a glimpse.”

Where do these meteors come from?

Per NASA, meteors come from leftover comet particles and bits from broken asteroids.

“When comets come around the sun, the dust they emit gradually spreads into a dusty trail around their orbits,” they add. “Every year the Earth passes through these debris trails, which allows the bits to collide with our atmosphere where they disintegrate to create fiery and colorful streaks in the sky.”

These pieces of space debris then interact with the atmosphere to create the Orionids. These meteors originate from comet 1P/Halley. Every time Halley returns to the inner solar system, its nucleus sheds ice and rocky dust into space. “The dust grains eventually become the Orionids in October and the Eta Aquarids in May if they collide with Earth’s atmosphere,” shares NASA.

As for their radiant, aka the point in the sky from which the Orionids appear to come, it is the constellation Orion.

Orion is also where the name for the shower comes from – Orionids.

To view the Orionids, you should not look only toward the constellation of Orion. Per NASA, it’s actually better to view the Orionids from 45 to 90 degrees away from the radiant. “They will appear longer and more spectacular from this perspective,” they add.

“If you do look directly at the radiant, you will find that the meteors will be short. This is an effect of perspective called foreshortening.”

For those in Toronto who can’t bear to miss the display, you can test your luck and see if you can catch them at one of these parks.

And don’t worry, if you miss these, there are still a number of meteor showers in store for Canada before the year ends.

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