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This week, stargazers will be able to see up to 25 shooting stars per hour fly through the night sky as the Orionid Meteor Shower performs its annual spectacle.
These meteors cross the sky every October, through November 7, but peak viewing is expected on Wednesday, October 21 around midnight.
This cosmic event occurs when Earth passes through a stream of debris left behind by Halley’s Comet, the parent comet of the Orionid shower.
You should be able to see shooting stars from whichever direction you look, but they will appear to be coming from the constellation Orion in the southeast.
Astronomers note that meteors can move 148,000 miles per hour into the atmosphere, but they leave trails of gas in the sky that last a few seconds.
NASA considers the Orionids one of the most beautiful showers of the year, which are visible in the northern and southern hemispheres after midnight.
Stargazers are in luck this month when hundreds of shooting stars light up the sky during an Orionid meteor shower. Pictured is the 2012 event
NASA recommends finding an area of dark sky, away from street lights and other sources of light pollution, and being prepared for a long wait.
They will be relatively easy to spot as long as the sky is clear and the weather is good, but it could take some time before one appears bright enough to spot.
Astronomers recommend lying on your back, looking southeast if you are in the northern hemisphere, and northeast if you are in the south.
The Orionid meteor shower is named after the constellation Orion, which is one of the brightest in the sky and resembles a Greek mythological hunter.
NASA considers the Orionids one of the most beautiful showers of the year, which are visible in the northern and southern hemispheres after midnight. This shower was seen in 2016
Then simply “look up” and see as much of the sky as possible; it is better to use the naked eye rather than a telescope or binoculars for a “wide view.”
The falling star shower is made up of the stream of debris left by Halley’s Comet as it made its way into the solar system and began to lose material through heating from the sun.
The core spews its ice and rocky dust into space, and as the Earth passes through that zone of debris, it has left behind the particles that fall through our atmosphere.
It is a good year to observe shooting stars as they coincide with the Moon in a waxing phase, which means it sets before midnight and provides dark skies.
They aren’t the strongest of the annual meteor showers, but you should see up to 25 an hour during the October 21 peak.
They are extremely fast, up to 41 miles per second and can be faint, but they leave behind a persistent train of ionized gas that lasts a few seconds and is easier to detect than the meteorite itself.
You also get exceptionally bright splashes throughout the broader shower of faint fragments, according to EarthSky.
These meteors streak through the sky every October, beginning November 2-7, but peak viewing is expected on the morning of October 21. In the photo, the Orionid shower in China in 2015
The Orionid meteor shower radiates from the constellation Orion, which is also where its name originates, as the annual showers are named after the point in our sky where they appear to come from.
They extend in all directions from that point, so you’ll see them anywhere in the sky, so it’s best to get a wide view.
To confirm if the shooting star is an Orionid, follow your way back and you will see that it is coming from the Orion Club, just north of Betelgeuse.
This month also brings with it a rare Blue Moon that will be visible in all time zones.
Astronomers note that meteors can move 148,000 miles per hour into the atmosphere, but they leave trails of gas in the sky that last for a few seconds. Pictured is the 2016 event in Russia
Around 25 shooting stars are expected to be visible every hour starting October 21, when the Orionid meteor shower reaches its peak in the UK (file image)
Our lunar neighbor will not glow blue, but the name is given because it is the second full moon to appear in the same month: the first occurs on October 1 and the next on October 31.
The cosmic display occurs seven times every 19 years, which means the world won’t see the next one on October 31 until 2039.
What makes this event even rarer is that it will be seen all over the world for the first time since WWII.
People from North and South America will get a glimpse of the Blue Moon, along with those from India, Europe, and Asia.
