Tonight in New York, hour by hour
Shower meteors an hour you can expect from a dark site through the night, after allowing for each radiant's height, twilight and the Moon (Southern Taurids, Orionids). Random meteors add a few more an hour, most of them before dawn.
20
Orionids peak rate (ZHR)
66 km/s
Entry speed
19:16
Radiant rises
1%
Moon lit
02:15
Best time
Tonight around the world
The best time to watch tonight in twelve cities, each worked out for that city's own night, with the meteors an hour you can expect from a dark site and where the Moon is at that time. Times are local.
| Place | Best time tonight | Meteors an hourfrom a dark site | Moon then |
|---|---|---|---|
| LondonUnited Kingdom | 02:10 BST | 4 to 5Southern Taurids | 0% lit |
| New YorkUnited States | 02:15 EDT | 4 to 5Southern Taurids | 1% lit |
| Los AngelesUnited States | 02:15 PDT | 5 to 6Southern Taurids | 1% lit |
| TorontoCanada | 02:45 EDT | 4 to 5Southern Taurids | 1% lit |
| SydneyAustralia | 02:25 AEDT | about 4Southern Taurids | 0% lit |
| DelhiIndia | 01:40 IST | 5 to 6Southern Taurids | 0% lit |
| TokyoJapan | 01:10 JST | 5 to 6Southern Taurids | 0% lit |
| BerlinGermany | 02:30 CEST | 4 to 5Southern Taurids | 0% lit |
| RomeItaly | 02:30 CEST | 4 to 5Southern Taurids | 0% lit |
| JohannesburgSouth Africa | 01:20 SAST | 4 to 5Southern Taurids | 0% lit |
| São PauloBrazil | 01:30 BRT | 4 to 5Southern Taurids | 0% lit |
| DubaiUnited Arab Emirates | 01:30 GST | 5 to 6Southern Taurids | 0% lit |
Where to look
The Southern Taurid radiant lies in Taurus. It rises at 19:16 and at the best time, 02:15, it is 58° up in the south-south-west. Face that way and look about halfway up.
- Meteors appear anywhere. Near the radiant they are short; far from it they leave long trails. Trace any of them back and it points to its radiant.
- Give your eyes 20 minutes to adapt to the dark, and switch your phone to Field mode for dim red light.
- Lie back on a reclining chair rather than craning your neck. No telescope or binoculars needed.
- Watch for at least half an hour. Meteors come in bursts, with quiet spells in between.
Where the meteors come from
Earth meets the Orionids
Earth is in the stream
The Orionids are grains shed by Halley's comet. Earth runs into the stream every year, and on the peak night it passes through the thickest part.
Drag to turn the view
The next meteor showers
Peak nights for the year ahead, with how much the Moon will brighten the sky. Add any of them to your calendar with the best time for your town.
Southern Taurids
Peaks tonight
Comet Encke
27 km/s · up to 5 an hour (ZHR)
27 km/s · up to 5 an hour (ZHR)
Moon at the peak: 0% · dark sky
Orionids
Active · peak 21–22 October
Halley's comet
66 km/s · up to 20 an hour (ZHR)
66 km/s · up to 20 an hour (ZHR)
Moon at the peak: 82% · bright moonlight
The Orionids in 2026 →Northern Taurids
Peak 12–13 November
Comet Encke
29 km/s · up to 5 an hour (ZHR)
29 km/s · up to 5 an hour (ZHR)
Moon at the peak: 14% · dark sky
Leonids
Peak 17–18 November
Comet Tempel–Tuttle
71 km/s · up to 15 an hour (ZHR)
71 km/s · up to 15 an hour (ZHR)
Moon at the peak: 57% · some interference
Geminids
Peak 13–14 December
Asteroid Phaethon
35 km/s · up to 150 an hour (ZHR)
35 km/s · up to 150 an hour (ZHR)
Moon at the peak: 22% · dark sky
Ursids
Peak 22–23 December
Comet Tuttle
33 km/s · up to 10 an hour (ZHR)
33 km/s · up to 10 an hour (ZHR)
Moon at the peak: 99% · bright moonlight
Quadrantids
Peak 3–4 January
Asteroid 2003 EH1
41 km/s · up to 110 an hour (ZHR)
41 km/s · up to 110 an hour (ZHR)
Moon at the peak: 12% · dark sky
Lyrids
Peak 22–23 April
Comet Thatcher
49 km/s · up to 18 an hour (ZHR)
49 km/s · up to 18 an hour (ZHR)
Moon at the peak: 94% · bright moonlight
Frequently Asked Questions
From New York tonight, 10 to 11 October, the best time is about 02:15 EDT, with 4 to 5 shower meteors an hour from a dark site, mostly the Southern Taurids. As a rule the hours before dawn are best, when the radiant is high and the sky is fully dark. Type your town at the top of this page for your own time.
The Southern Taurids (at their peak) and the Orionids (building to their peak on 21 October) are active now. From New York tonight they give 4 to 5 meteors an hour from a dark site at the best time. The next big one is the Orionids, peaking on the night of 21 to 22 October.
From New York at the best time, 02:15, face south-south-west and look about halfway up: the Southern Taurid radiant in Taurus is 58° up. Meteors can appear anywhere in the sky, so take in a wide stretch around that direction. Those far from the radiant leave the longest trails.
Tonight, 10 to 11 October, the best time is about 02:10 in London, 02:20 in Manchester and 02:25 in Edinburgh (BST), with 4 to 5 shower meteors an hour from a dark site, mostly the Southern Taurids. There is no Moon to brighten the sky.
The Orionids, which peak on the night of 21 to 22 October 2026. From New York the best time that night is about 04:25 EDT, with up to 18 meteors an hour from a dark site.
The page gives meteors an hour for a dark site, a suburb and a city centre. From a suburb you see roughly a third to a half of what a dark site shows, and from a city centre roughly a tenth to a fifth, because the faint meteors are the first to vanish. Random meteors from no particular shower add a few an hour, most of them before dawn. Meteors come in bursts, so watch for at least half an hour.
The point in the sky that a shower's meteors seem to fly out of. The grains travel through space on parallel paths, so perspective makes them appear to spread from one point, the way a straight road seems to meet at the horizon. The shower is named after the constellation it lies in.
No. Meteors cross large parts of the sky in under a second, so your eyes are best. Give them 20 minutes in the dark, keep your phone on red-light field mode, and lie back on a reclining chair.
Yes. The stars come from a catalogue of about 9,000 stars, every one you can see without a telescope, and the Sun, Moon and planets are calculated for your place and time. The satellites are real passes worked out from our orbit data. Only the meteors are simulated: they appear at the forecast rate, from the right radiants and at the right speeds.
A meteor is a streak that lasts under a second. A satellite is a steady point of light that drifts across the sky for several minutes, sometimes fading out as it enters Earth's shadow. The sky map shows both.
Forecast for New York, worked out for the night of 10 to 11 October from the positions of the Sun, the Moon, the planets and each shower's radiant. Type your town above for your own. Last updated: .
Cite this page: Orbital Radar, Meteor Tracker. https://orbitalradar.com/meteor-tracker (accessed 10 October 2026).
Orbital Radar · Meteor Tracker