RIYADH: If you are an avid skygazer and love watching meteors, experts say the Orionid Meteor Shower 2026 will peak this week, and is expected to light up Saudi Arabia’s skies.
The Noor Astronomy Association said the Orionids are active from late October to early November and can be seen with the naked eye from dark locations.
The annual phenomenon occurs when dust and debris left behind by Halley’s Comet enter Earth’s atmosphere at high speeds, producing fast-moving streaks of light.
Abouazza El-Mhamdi, associate professor in the physics and astronomy department at King Saud University, told Arab News: “The Orionids peak on the intervening night of Oct. 21 to 22, 2026.
“These meteors are debris from Halley’s Comet, hitting the atmosphere at about 66 km per second. So they are fast and sometimes leave bright trains.
“The best observing time in Saudi Arabia will be after midnight, especially 2 to 5 a.m. local time.”
He said this year a bright waxing gibbous moon will coincide and may wash out fainter meteors. But it sets after midnight, so the pre-dawn hours after moonset provide the best chance for skygazers to have a glimpse.
He added: “The radiant is in Orion, near Betelgeuse. Orion rises in the east late evening and is high in the southern sky before dawn. So don’t stare directly at Orion; look 45 to 90 degrees away, toward the overhead or southern sky, where trails appear longer.”
Sharing some practical tips, he said stargazers should “get away from city lights. No telescope is needed and try to allow 20 to 30 minutes for dark adaptation of your eye, and be patient. Under dark skies expect roughly 10 to 20 meteors an hour.”
“It is a moderate shower, not a storm, but bright meteors and occasional fireballs are worth watching,” he added.
Noor Astronomy Association President Issa Al-Ghafili said the meteor shower offers an opportunity to observe traces of Halley’s Comet, which last approached Earth about 40 years ago and is not expected to return for another 36 years.
He said each meteor represents a tiny fragment of material left behind by the comet decades or even centuries ago.
The annual meteor shower is one of autumn’s stargazing highlights. The event, which happens 95 km up in space, is one of the most impressive displays of the celestial calendar.