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Orionid Meteor Shower Peaks Amid Moonlight Challenges
· Confirmed
In Short: The Orionid meteor shower peaked Wednesday night, but moonlight made viewing difficult.
The Orionid meteor shower reached its peak Wednesday night, offering skywatchers a chance to see up to 20 meteors per hour, according to KOCO 5 Meteorologist Mikayla Smith.
However, the waxing gibbous moon, which was 77 percent illuminated, presented a challenge for viewing the celestial event.
Around 10 to 20 meteors per hour entered Earth’s atmosphere at speeds of about 66 kilometers per second, producing bright fireballs.
The best viewing time was after midnight, especially after the moon set around 3:30 a.m. in Washington, D.C., according to WJLA.
Orionids originate from Halley’s Comet and can appear anywhere overhead, though they are named for their apparent origin near the constellation Orion.
The Orionids are known for their speed and brightness, making them one of the most beautiful showers of the year, according to astronomers.
Viewers were advised to find a dark location away from urban light pollution and give their eyes time to adjust to the darkness.
NASA’s Raquel Villanueva suggested looking up and away from the radiant point to avoid foreshortening, which can make meteors appear shorter.
Bart Fried, president of the Antique Telescope Society and member of the Amateur Astronomers Association, noted that spotting a shooting star is always a thrilling experience.
Despite the challenges posed by the moonlight, dedicated skywatchers could still catch a glimpse of the Orionids during the overnight hours between Wednesday and Thursday.
What this adds
The Orionid meteor shower is active from October 2 to November 7, with the peak occurring overnight from October 21 to 22.
The waxing gibbous moon will be 76% illuminated Wednesday night, according to the American Meteor Society, making it harder to spot the shower during parts of the viewing period.
The Hunter’s Moon reaches its fullest point just after midnight Monday, Oct.
Background
The Orionid meteor shower, active from October 2 to November 7, peaks overnight from October 21 to 22.
What's confirmed
- The Orionid meteor shower is reaching its peak on Wednesday night, and it’s widely considered by astronomers to be one of the most beautiful showers of the year.
What's still developing
- One of the benefits of this dry October weather is viewing the night sky, particularly as nighttime hours continue to grow longer.
- Thanks to the nearly 80% (called waxing gibbous for those keeping score) illuminated moon, the brightness may tend to dim the opportunity to see the roughly 10 to 20 meteors per hour.
- Thanks to the usually cloudy skies this time of year, those in western Washington do not normally get to see this annual Orionid meteor shower.
- Moonlight will make the fainter meteors harder to see, so this may not be a spectacular sky full of shooting stars.
- The Hunter’s Moon reaches its fullest point just after midnight Monday, Oct.
- Earthsky.org said several mornings around Oct. 21 should produce the best chance to observe the meteor showers.
- “They will appear longer and more spectacular from this perspective. If you do look directly at the radiant, you will find that the meteors will be short. This is an effect of perspective called foreshortening,” NASA said.
- Sky-gazers across the Northern and Southern hemispheres should start to see meteors zip by after midnight local time.
- Earth crosses that debris twice a year, producing the Eta Aquariids in May and the Orionids in October, according to NASA's Orionids page.
- That makes this a set-your-alarm shower rather than an evening one.
- Meteors are typically white, or sometimes a faint yellow, but depending on their composition and how deep they penetrate the atmosphere, they can appear other colors, according to EarthSky.