The Orionids meteor shower, considered one of the most beautiful showers of the year, could light up the sky with meteors for much of next month.
NASA said that orionid meteors peak during mid-October every year, and the meteors are famous for their brightness and speed.
The ability to see meteors depends on a clear night sky, as the bright, waning gibbous Moon moves between quarter and final full phases, outweighing more faint meteors and reducing the number of meteors visible to skygazers.
According to NASA, Some orionids leave behind glow “trains” or glowing bits of debris in the meteorite’s wake, which can last up to several minutes, and some faster meteors can also turn into fireballs.
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An Orion meteor shower lights up the night sky over the desert on October 22, 2023, in Yuli County, Byingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. (VCG/VCG via Getty Images)
Orionid meteors are pieces of Halley’s Comet surrounded by some of the brightest stars in the night sky.
“Every time Halley returns to the inner solar system, its core ejects ice and rock dust into space,” NASA said. “These dust grains eventually become Orionids in October and Eta Aquaridians in May if they collide with Earth’s atmosphere.”
At the peak of the meteor shower, scheduled for Monday, sky watchers could see up to 15 meteors per hour, depending on where they are in the Northern Hemisphere.
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Meteors streak across the sky over the desert during the Orionid meteor shower on October 22, 2023, in Yuli County, China. (VCG/VCG via Getty Images)
While clear skies are important, the second most important viewing condition is dark skies away from light pollution.
Bill Cook, who leads NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, suggests budding sky watchers find an area away from city lights.
“Come prepared with a blanket. Lie on your back and look up, enjoying as much of the sky as possible,” he said on NASA’s website. “In less than 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adjust, and you will start seeing meteors.”
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Halley’s Comet over Uluru, outback Australia, 1986. (Impressions Photography/Getty Images)
NASA says that orionids can be seen in the northern and southern hemispheres during the hours after midnight until dawn.
While the peak of the Orionids meteor shower will be on October 21, the Orionids will be active until November 22.
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Halley’s Comet takes 76 years to orbit the Sun, and was last seen by astronomers in 1986. NASA said the comet is not expected to enter the inner solar system again until 2061.