The Orionids from Hawaiʻi
When the Orionids peak this year from Hawaiʻi, how high the radiant climbs at 19.8°N, and what the moon does to the night.
The 2026 peak night, computed for Hawaiʻi
Tuesday, October 20
50 days away.
Best around 4:38 AM HST, when the radiant tops out about 86° up.
The moon is 75% lit that night. Only the brightest meteors will punch through.
Planning further out: the next peak lands Oct 20, 2027, with the moon 62% lit.
✉️ Sky-event email alerts
Next up: The Geminids peak, December 13. We send one email about three days before it, with the sky forecast from up on the mountain, and the same for the handful of other showers a year worth the drive. Nothing else, and one click to stop.
What you'll actually see
Very fast and mostly faint, with fine persistent trains. Orionids reward dark skies and adapted eyes more than most showers: under a bright sky they simply vanish.
Debris from comet 1P/Halley, the same trail Earth crosses again each May as the Eta Aquariids. October is the outbound crossing.
Entry speed: about 66 km/s.
When it runs
Active from early October into early November, with a broad, sometimes double-humped peak around October 21.
From 19.8°N
The radiant sits nearly on the celestial equator, which is the good kind of geometry here: from 19.8°N it climbs close to overhead before dawn, higher than it ever gets for most of the people writing the guides. A pre-dawn shower, best in the last dark hours.
Making the night work
The technique is the same for every shower: dark spot, no telescope, eyes adapted, radiant up. The rules live on the calendar page.
Tours & booking
No 4WD, or want it handled?
Summit tours from Kona, Waikoloa and Hilo bundle the 4WD, parkas, dinner and a telescope, typically $150 to $330 a person.
Tour or drive yourself? The honest comparison
Tour links are affiliate links to Viator; we may earn a commission at no cost to you.
Peak instants and radiant heights computed by this site from solar longitude with astronomy-engine; stream facts from the American Meteor Society and IMO shower notes. Independent project, affiliated with no observatory or agency.