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Orionid Meteor Shower Peaks Wednesday Night
· Confirmed
In Short: The Orionid meteor shower, known for its fast and bright meteors, peaked Wednesday night, offering skywatchers a chance to see shooting stars produced by the debris of Halley's Comet.
According to EarthSky, the best time to spot the quickly flashing meteors will be during the overnight hours between Wednesday and Thursday.
The Orionids are active from October 2 to November 7, but they reach their maximum intensity around the nights of October 21 and 22.
The meteors will appear to originate from the constellation of Orion, near the red supergiant star Betelgeuse.
The Orionids are known for their speed and brightness, with meteors traveling at about 41 miles per second (66 kilometers per second).
Richard Covey, an amateur astronomer, astrophotographer, and member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, says the Orionids are especially appealing because of their speed and their connection to one of astronomy’s best-known comets.
Halley's Comet, discovered by Edmond Halley in 1758, is responsible for both the Orionids and the Eta Aquariids, which occur in May.
The Orionids are visible to the naked eye, so no specialist equipment like binoculars or a telescope is needed.
However, a bright waxing moon may wash out some of the fainter meteors, making location and timing more important than ever.
The moon Wednesday night will be in the waxing gibbous phase, which will illuminate the sky by 77 percent.
According to the American Meteor Society, the waxing gibbous moon will be 76% illuminated Wednesday night, which could make it harder to spot the shower during parts of the viewing period.
The Orionids produce roughly 10 to 20 meteors per hour under ideal dark-sky conditions.
Your eyes will adjust to the dark in less than 30 minutes, and then you will begin to see the meteors.
What this adds
One of the 'most beautiful' meteor showers of the year is expected to peak this week, according to NASA.
The Orionids are known for very speedy meteors that travel at 148,000 mph (or 41 miles per second).
Background
The Orionid meteor shower, known for its fast and bright meteors, peaked Wednesday night, offering skywatchers a chance to see shooting stars produced by the debris of Halley's Comet.
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.
- The Orionids produce roughly 10 to 20 meteors per hour.
- The meteors will appear to originate from the constellation of Orion, near the red supergiant star Betelgeuse.
- This meteor shower is called the Orionids, because the radiant point of the shower is near the constellation Orion.
- Under ideal dark-sky conditions, observers can expect to see around 10 to 20 meteors per hour during the peak.
What's still developing
- NASA launches ‘discovery machine’ to unravel the invisible universe Orionid meteors are known to fly by at high speeds, streaking through Earth’s atmosphere at 41 miles per second (66 kilometers per second).
- Earth crosses that debris twice a year, producing the Eta Aquariids in May and the Orionids in October, according to NASA's Orionids page.
- This incredible composite image of Orionid meteors was captured as Earth passed through the debris trail shed by Halley's Comet.
- Astrophotographer Tim McCollum captured a spectacular view of Orionid meteors sharing the night sky with a host of deep sky wonders on Oct. 21, as the annual shooting star display ramped up to peak activity.
- Here's everything you should know about catching a glimpse.
- One of the "most beautiful" meteor showers of the year is expected to peak this week, according to NASA.
- This month brings two meteor showers, an eerie orange-tinted full moon, and one of the year’s last chances to glimpse the Milky Way’s luminous core.
- With streaking meteors and exceptional planet sightings, October provides plenty of reasons to stay up and stargaze.
- Expert astronomers have shared that the ideal window to catch October’s meteor shower will be around 3:30 AM AEDT.
- These fast-moving meteors travel at about 66 kilometres per second into Earth’s atmosphere.
- The shortcuts that turn 3-hour tasks into 10-minute wins.
- Halley's comet itself only passes near Earth about once every 76 years.