Orionid meteor shower is about to peak. Here's the where and when to view.

The Orionid meteor shower is set to peak, when several streaks of meteors could be visible.

The Orionid meteor shower is active each year from about Oct. 2 to Nov. 7, according to the American Meteor Society. This year's peak will occur in the early morning on Oct. 21-23. The Orionids are known for its brightness and speed – each meteor can streak up to 148,000 mph.

According to EarthSky.org, the Orionid meteor shower should produce at least 20 meteors per hour in a dark, moonless sky. And on October 21, the new moon guarantees clear skies free from lunar interference in the early morning.

When and where to look in the sky for the Orionids

From the Oct. 21 to 23, start keeping an eye out for Orionid meteors in the very early hours of the morning, starting after 1 a.m. through dawn.

You can enjoy views of the meteor shower from anywhere in the U.S., weather permitting of course, but it would be best to find an open space where you can gaze up. The best time to see the shower is under a dark, moonless sky, according to EarthSky.org.

Unable to view our graphics? Click here to see them.

The reason the Orionid meteors are named after the constellation Orion is that they appear to originate or radiate from the same region of the sky.

Path of the Orionid meteor shower near Earth

According to NASA, the Orionid showers are among the most spectacular of the year and reach their peak in mid-October.

Where do the Orionid meteors come from?

Halley's comet produced two meteor showers, the first of which is the Eta Aquarids, which occurs each year in May, according to Timeanddate.com. The other meteor shower is the Orionids.

Most meteor showers are named after constellations, stars and even asteroids.

CONTRIBUTING Doyle Rice, Zoe Wells

SOURCE EarthSky.org, NASA, American Meteor Society and USA TODAY research

Parts of story were previously published on Oct. 18, 2024.

This story was updated to correct a misspelling.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: October's Orionid meteor shower is here: Where and when to view

Reporting by Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect