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The Orionid meteor shower is peaking this week, with between 15 and 20 shooting stars per hour.
Meteors enter Earth’s atmosphere with unusual speed, traveling at approximately 41 miles per second, approximately 148,000 mph. In their haste, they often leave glowing trails of debris that glow in the sky for several seconds or even minutes. Some travel so fast that they explode into balls of fire, creating long bursts of light.
The Orionids soar through the sky throughout October, but Tuesday and Wednesday nights are the best time to observe meteors, as the moon is far from full and the Earth passes through the thickest part of a debris cloud. that Halley’s Comet left. The ball of ice, rock, and dust orbits the sun and left the dust 34 years ago. As Earth’s orbit carries the planet through that cloud each year, bits and pieces collide with our world and burn up in the atmosphere, creating bright streaks.
Comet Halley last crossed the Milky Way in 1986.
POT
From the ground, that drama unfolds against the backdrop of some of the brightest stars in the sky – the constellation Orion.
Because the Orionids appear to originate in that area of the sky, the show is named after the constellation, which is best known for the trio of stars that make up a hunter’s belt. When Halley’s Comet traverses the inner solar system again in 2061, it will replenish the dust field responsible for these incredible shooting stars.
How to see the Orionids
A meteor passes by the constellation Canis Minor in the sky during the annual Orionid meteor shower, near Malaga, Spain, on October 22, 2017.
Jon Nazca / Reuters
To see the show for the next two nights, find a clear view of the stars away from the city lights. Give your eyes about 30 minutes to adjust to the dark, then you can watch until sunrise. The location of the Orionids will rise in the sky after midnight. The meteors will appear just north of Betelgeuse, the brightest star in the constellation Orion.
If possible, keep the moon out of your field of vision. Although it has less than 20% illumination, its light could outshine shooting stars.
Both the northern and southern hemispheres can enjoy the show. Shooting stars will peak in the early morning of Wednesday, October 21, but will continue at a high rate for several days.
The intensity of the Orionids appears to follow a 12-year cycle. The last peak of the cycle was in 2006, followed by relatively low rates of shooting stars during the 2010s. In recent years, exhibits from the October meteor shower have been low or average, according to the American Meteor Society.
After the Orionids, the next meteor shower will be the Northern Taurids, which will peak on November 11-12.
