Orionid Meteor Shower Peaks This Weekend
The annual Orionid meteor shower is expected to reach it’s peak this weekend, specifically early Sunday morning, October 21st. The best time to view is in the early morning hours before sunrise. The radiant point will be in the southeastern sky close to the constellation Orion, hence the name Orionids. Under clear, dark skies, observers may see from 20 to 50 meteors per hour.
The Orionid meteor shower occurs every year at about this time as the Earth moves through the dust trail left behind by Comet Halley (Halley’s Comet). As some may recall, Comet Halley last passed through the inner solar system in 1986 during it’s 76 year orbit.
The peak of the shower occurs this Sunday morning, but the shower will still continue over the next couple of weeks, though at a significantly lower intensity. So during some clear night over the next few days, if you see a streak of light in the southeastern sky, you probably saw an Orionid. Viewing over the next week will become increasingly hindered by the Moon as it approaches it’s full phase, which tends to wash out fainter meteors due to the full Moon’s brightness.
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The Orionid meteor shower occurs every year at about this time as the Earth moves through the dust trail left behind by Comet Halley (Halley’s Comet). As some may recall, Comet Halley last passed through the inner solar system in 1986 during it’s 76 year orbit.
The peak of the shower occurs this Sunday morning, but the shower will still continue over the next couple of weeks, though at a significantly lower intensity. So during some clear night over the next few days, if you see a streak of light in the southeastern sky, you probably saw an Orionid. Viewing over the next week will become increasingly hindered by the Moon as it approaches it’s full phase, which tends to wash out fainter meteors due to the full Moon’s brightness.
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