How and when try to catch a glimpse of the Orionid meteor shower in Toronto

The Orionid meteor shower is set to peak in the early hours of October 21, but the full moon might make it difficult to see.

Meteor showers are best viewed with limited light pollution, which is why October’s full moon might put a damper on things. The moon will be full October 19 to 20 and will flood the night sky with light until the 21, making the already small meteor shower that much harder to see.

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The Orionid shower is not as robust as August’s Perseid shower. If you’re lucky, you’ll see 10 to 20 meteors per hour, but with the moon being so bright, EarthSky says that it is unlikely you’ll see that amount.

It doesn’t help that Toronto might see rain overnight from the 20th into the 21st. The chance of rain is at 40%, so there’s still hope for the meteor shower. Keep an eye on the weather before you head out, and maybe pack an umbrella and a blanket, just in case.

Toronto forecast/Environment Canada

If you still want to take in the celestial event, you’ll want to find a space with an open sky and little light pollution.

Places like High Park and Scarborough Bluffs offer open skies away from the noise pollution of downtown. These spots are ideal for viewing at around 2 am at the peak of the shower.

Be careful; a meteor shower earlier this month got physical when a piece of a meteor crashed through the roof of a BC woman’s home, landing in bed next to her.

Sky gazers only need to look up and wait for the meteors to shoot out in all directions from the constellation of Orion. You don’t need to stare at Orion all night, but if you see a meteor and want to know if it’s Orionid, trace back its trail and see where it started!