This week the Orionid meteor shower reaches its peak on the night of 20-21 October. The chart shows the view looking south-east from London at 3am BST on the morning of 21 October, by which time the meteor shower’s radiant point will have risen high into the sky.
At their best, the Orionids are a moderate shower with maximum rates of between 10 and 20 meteors an hour. This year, the moon will have been full on 17 October, so will be a waning gibbous on the evening of the peak. This will wash the fainter meteors from view, reducing the numbers.
