The Orionid meteor shower, considered one of the most beautiful meteors of the year, could light up the sky with shooting stars for most of next month.
The Orionid meteor shower peaks in mid-October each year, and meteors are known for their brightness and speed, according to NASA.
Whether you can see shooting stars depends on whether the night sky is clear. The bright waning gibbous moon moves between full and waning moons, outshining the fainter meteors and reducing the number of meteors visible to skygazers.
According to NASA, Some Orionid meteor showers leave glowing “trains”, or incandescent debris, in the meteor trail that can last several minutes, and some of the faster meteors can even turn into fireballs.
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On October 22, 2023, the Orionid meteor shower lights up the desert night sky in Yuli County, Bingoling-Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. (VCG/VCG via Getty Images)
The Orionid meteor shower is part of Halley's Comet and is surrounded by some of the brightest stars in the night sky.
“Each time Halley returns to the inner solar system, its core ejects ice and rock dust into space, which will eventually collide with Earth's atmosphere to form the Orionid meteor shower in October,” “There will be an Etaids meteor shower on the moon,” NASA said.
At the peak of the meteor shower, scheduled for Monday, skywatchers could see up to 15 meteors per hour, depending on where they are in the Northern Hemisphere.
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A meteor crosses the sky over a desert during the Orionid meteor shower in Yuli County, China, on October 22, 2023. (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, director of NASA's Meteor Environment Office at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, advises budding skywatchers to find a spot away from city lights.
“Get a blanket. Lie on your back, face up, and look at as much of the sky as possible,” he said on NASA's website. “After less than 30 minutes in the dark, your eyes will adjust and you'll be able to see the meteors.”
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Halley's Comet over Uluru in the Australian outback in 1986. (Impression Photo/Getty Images)
According to NASA, the Orionid meteor shower will be visible from midnight to dawn in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
The peak of the Orionid meteor shower is October 21st, but the Orionid meteor shower will be active until November 22nd.
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Halley's Comet takes 76 years to orbit the Sun, and astronomers last observed it in 1986. The comet is not expected to reenter the solar system until 2061, NASA said.
