Set your alarm for the small hours of October 21 and 22, 2026 — that's when the Orionids meteor shower peaks over the UAE, and with clear desert skies, the Emirates is one of the easier places to catch it.
The Orionids are an annual October-and-November event, created when Earth passes through the debris trail of Halley's Comet — the same comet that only swings past our neck of the solar system once every 76 years. The 'crumbs' it leaves behind are mostly ice, dust and rock, and they're surprisingly small: roughly the size of a grain of sand. What they lack in size they make up for in speed, hitting our atmosphere at up to 71 kilometres per second and burning up as bright streaks across the sky. The name comes from the constellation Orion, because the meteors appear to radiate from a point near Orion's Belt.
The golden rule for any meteor shower is simple: escape the city lights. Around the UAE, the reliable dark-sky spots are the Al Qudra desert on Dubai's outskirts, Mleiha National Park in Sharjah, and the Al Quaa Milky Way Spot in Abu Dhabi. All three are drivable within an hour or so of the major cities.
If you'd rather not freestyle it, the Dubai Astronomy Group runs a guided night at Al Qudra Desert on October 21 and 22 from 10pm to 2am. Tickets start from Dhs150 and include telescope viewing, sky mapping and astrophotography — a decent setup for anyone new to stargazing who wants to know what they're actually looking at. The group flags that spaces fill up fast, so booking early is wise. Keep an eye on @dubaiastronomy for details.
Even without a telescope, you don't need specialist gear to enjoy the show — just a blanket, a reclining chair and some patience for your eyes to adjust to the dark. Deserts get cold after midnight, even in October, so bring layers.
For travellers, it's a nice excuse to combine a Dubai city break with something you can't do back home — especially if you're visiting from a light-polluted northern European city. Time your trip for the third week of October and you can do brunch, beaches and a spot of wishing on a shooting star, all in one weekend.
